Exodus and Return-us: The Soul Trumps the Mind
by Ikedawg43
Summary: Hiccup leaves Berk to create a place for himself. He finds that he is not meant to withstand the pressure of his new life, and adapts in order to thrive. However, in doing so he has created a monster within himself. After tragedy rocks Hiccup's world, he gives into his own monster, and it is up to his closest friends to save him from himself. COMPLETE; Epilogue coming soon.
1. So it begins

Exodus and Return-us

Author's Note: This is my first story, but I have read nearly every story over 40,000 words with the same premise (Hiccup leaves with Toothless) so I have an idea of what I hope to accomplish with this story. Updates will likely take a while because I am doing this as something productive to do in my down time, so if you like the story just park a "follow" and whenever the update may be you will see it. This IS a Hiccup Leaves story, Toothless WILL talk (his personality will be very much like Hobbes from Calvin and Hobbes), and I will not use personal info for storylines or characters because it ticks me off when I see that from other authors. I definitely won't do a song-fic. HECK nah. That being said some small events in some chapters may have wordings or plotlines very similar to modern rock songs. I will be impressed if someone can guess them all.

This first chapter begins right after Hiccup and Toothless' first real flight where Hiccup lost his cheat sheet. This takes place on that rock column.

I present….

Exodus and Return-us

That was literally the craziest thing I have ever done. In my life. Period. Hands DOWN. It puzzles me why, with certain death just ahead in the form of jagged rocks, I threw away the cheat sheet and flew FLAWLESSLY. I mean it could not have been better. Toothless and I hit sideways flips that weren't truly necessary but made us feel alive nonetheless. Now that I do think about it, I felt eerily calm during that moment, as if something had 'clicked' but I can't figure out just what. Whatever happened, it was as if I knew what Toothless wanted to do. Crazy, huh?

"Aww crap." During my moments of thought, I let my fish burn catch fire and almost burn me. But not quite; I must be getting less clumsy… huh, as if. "Well bud, if the smell of cooking fish wasn't already strong enough to attract company, _burnt_ fish should bring anything within miles that's hungry" I said to Toothless who was currently making a Thawfest sport out of ignoring me despite the fact I was leaning against him. As I looked up, I saw a few terrible terrors fly to our rock outcropping and I inwardly groaned a little. Toothless noticed the small herd of dragons approaching and covered _all_ of his fish up. If I was hungry, one small fish that apparently must not have been big enough for the mighty Night Fury was all that was left for me.

The Terrors approached the Night Fury and a battle of wills took place; after Toothless shot a plasma blast into one of the Terrors the battle was over. However, it was the moments in between that left my mind spinning: while Toothless was growling at the diabolical dragons (because anything taking your food is _obviously _evil, Viking thinking apparently coming from a Night Fury) I could have sworn I could hear a slight buzz in my head, near my ears but still easily within my brain. I tried to focus on the sound (a task made difficult by the growling match between Toothless and a dragon the size of my arm) but all I could ever hear was closest to a quiet mumble that never truly could be discerned.

I was jolted back to reality again, this time when the defeated Terror wobbled over and coughed the tiniest, most heartbreaking cough ever. Likely one of the least manly things I had done that week (cuz I am not truly known for my manliness, ok?) I practically melted and gave the dragon my little piece of fish.

The Terror gave me a look that plainly stated "this human is insane. He just gave me food. There must be something wrong here" for about half a second before attacking the fish. Afterwards, the Terror scrambled up to me and curled up like a cat, asleep in an impressive 4 seconds flat.

"Everything we know about you guys… is wrong." The statement flowed out of my mouth without me ever even realizing what it could mean. However, once stated it seemed like the most obvious but important thing in the world. The Terror is sleeping next to me after giving it a fish. A NIGHT FURY is curled around me like I am _his _pet and he enjoys (and sometimes tolerates) my company about as much.

I sat in silence for a few moments while my painstakingly obvious epiphany sunk in. Then my mind wouldn't _stop_ thinking about what all this could mean. Did dragons have their own language? Can they communicate with each other? Do they coordinate the raids on the village or do they all just attack at once? What other things can dragons do that Vikings may never find out? I mean if the Night Fury can have retractable teeth, what other strange things could exist?

Just as my mind began to spiral into more questions than I could keep up with, Toothless rumbled (and my head buzzed slightly again) and started to get up from his now-empty pile of fish.

"Alright bud, I gotta get back to the village. Gobber said we gotta 'start preparin tha village so your father at least has _something_ good to focus on. Odin knows he didn't find the nest, and I feel bad for anyone stuck in a room with him when he's in one-a those moods.'" Toothless seemed to understand, as he stretched and then tilted his wing so I could climb aboard. As we headed back to the cove, two questions stuck in my mind: How did we fly so perfectly earlier, and why does my head only buzz when Toothless does something?

The next day in training was both exciting and absolutely terrifying at the same time. The exciting part was the dragon we fought. Gobber was content with letting us fight the Nadder again, and I was eager to do anything BUT draw attention to myself. Unfortunately, some idiots had other plans, and that's where to day got terrifying. But it didn't have anything to do with the dragon, or even the idiots who made me "fight" a Nadder blindfolded; it was Astrid that really scared me.

Upon walking into the arena, everything seemed normal. The twins were fighting to the death (more than likely) in one corner, Fishlegs was trying not to look as nervous as I usually felt, and Snotlout was… not flirting with Astrid. That was the only thing that was odd. Aside from the maze that Gobber had set up for the Nadder fight, of course.

Even as Gobber opened the cage and we all scrambled (I ran to the farthest side of the arena, hoping Astrid would take the dragon down before I had to try something), Snotlout was nowhere to be seen.

After a few seconds, I heard a distinct, high-pitched squeal followed by Gobber making some snide remark to Fishlegs about always getting out first. I figured that the Nadder would next go for Ruff and Tuff (who were still arguing), but all of a sudden everyone went quiet. No sounds of a Nadder attacking, no yelling twins, no flirting Snotlout. Nothing. I looked around a corner that led to the longest path in the entire maze, stretching nearly across the whole ring. About 15 feet from me was the Nadder, facing the other way and listening for its prey. I moved to the other side and tried to move away from the lane until Gobber caught me going the other way from the dragon. "HICCUP! What do ya think you're doin? It's RIGHT THERE, facing the other way fer crying out loud!" Well, crap, he saw that. I turned the corner, finding the dragon preoccupied with picking under its far wing with its beak-like snout. It was then that the idiots happened.

I heard a snicker behind me… before I knew anything else someone clamped their hands around my arms, effectively holding me in place, and someone else wrapped a blindfold around my eyes impossibly quickly. A good shove forward later, and I was standing about five feet from a Deadly Nadder, holding a dagger while blindfolded…

There was only one problem. I _thought_ I was five feet away from the dragon. However, I felt a very large, very angry presence above me. Not in front of me, above me…

^_Gods above, I can't die like this...^ _I inwardly groaned as a realized I was holding a weapon. My very NEXT thought was 'hey Hiccup, how about dropping the pointy object that makes large dragons like the one _above _you angry?' I dropped the dagger, then heard a questioning squawk from in front of me and decided that now was as good a time as ever. I reached out my hand (hoping I didn't put it inside its mouth and make the job of dying easier) and as soon as I felt scales a scratched for all I was worth. I must have worked around to a sweet spot, because I _felt_ a thump next to me and heard satisfied croons, followed by incredulous cheers from Tuffnut and Snotlout… which reminded me…

"WHAT in Thor's hammer where you thinking when you had the idea to BLINDFOLD me in front of A VERY-MUCH-SO DEADLY NADDER?!" I burst out, assuming my rage would scare up a quick answer. It didn't. Tuffnut and Snotlout were laughing so hard that they were nearly crying. Ruffnut tried to laugh but just kinda starred slack-jawed at me. Astrid, on the other hand, looked both shocked and angry.

After 30 seconds for the guys to cool down from their laughter bit, Gobber came over and demanded an answer to the same question I did. While I ignored most of the lecture, I enjoyed seeing Snotlout and Tuff in trouble until Gobber mentioned something about "all this recklessness fer a prank? Don't you have anyone else you can use?" Snotlout suddenly looked smug, and responded "I wasn't a prank! It wasn't even our idea! Astrid wanted us to do it, I swear."

Astrid, never one to have her reputation tarnished, immediately justified her actions, "yea, it was my idea. I wanted to see how well he performed under pressure, seeing as he all of a sudden became a prodigy. I figure he can't cheat if he can't see." "Meh, I guess that's fair enough. Odin knows I put you kids threw worse. But class, if there was any way to cheat a dragon, we would have figured it out by now…"

I left before Gobber said that Vikings would have cheated dragons for easy kills, and I was not just mad that Astrid planned this, or that Gobber let it slide, but was also increasingly terrified of what Astrid might do if I interfere with anything else she wants… Such as placing first in training, of which I am currently leading…

After I left the arena, I unsurprisingly found myself at the cove, and began telling Toothless everything that had happened earlier. I must have assumed that he needed a tiny bit of background information, because before I knew it I was telling him every frustration that I have endured as Berk's 15 year old screw-up. Soon I found myself sorting out what hurt that most about Berk not just for Toothless, but also for me, "…it's not the fact that they've hated me my whole life, or that the only like me because I can suddenly fight dragons, or that everything I stand for seems to be 'unvikingly,' or that my hopeless crush (Toothless chuckled on that part, and the buzzing in my head grew) is orchestrating my downfall, or even that my dad doesn't even want to be around me… the worst part is the only place I can be myself and am happy is here with you." Toothless gave me a flat look, and I corrected myself, "Not that being here is bad at all. It's great! It's that Berk isn't great like this. Or even half-way decent…" Toothless must have decided that my talk was getting too depressing, because he closed his eyes and nudged my just with his forehead. I could have sworn I could hear him purring, but the buzzing from my head grew so loudly that for a moment I could have sworn it sounded like a very satisfied "MMmmmm," but Toothless pulled away before I could truly discern what this thing in my head is.

Toothless sat back and looked at my with those large, lustrous green eyes before he started tugging his head up and to the side. He seemed to want me to do something, but I was distracted by the buzzing in my head again, which was now buzzing on and off as if it was _trying _to annoy me. Toothless gave a small growl and I was jolted back to the scene in front of me. "Do you want to go flying or something?" As I said this, Toothless gave large nods and adjusted so I could hop on, and we were gone.

Our flight was going normally for a while. Toothless and I were in pretty good sync, and we were able to pull off some cool dives. A few times, on the hardest tricks or routines where we really got going, the buzzing in the side of my head stopped and I felt that same calm feeling that I did the day of our first flight. All things were going normally until I wanted to try flying in clouds that completely block any vision whatsoever. The clouds felt amazing, very soft and puffy, but with a slight cold, wet sting to them that always sets my hair on edge. We followed the longest cloud trail until I realized where we ended up.

We had flown to the location with the most clouds and fog anywhere around: Helheim's Gate. As we neared the fog, I felt Toothless go a little stiff as we fell into what was apparently a dragon-only route to who knows where. When we exited the fog, I saw a volcano protruding from the ground, and could hear what I assumed to be thousands of dragons talking. As Toothless flew into what I presumed to be the nest, I was immediately overwhelmed by the sheer amount of dragons. "What my dad wouldn't give to find this" I said as Toothless flew over to a small outcropping with a large rock to hide behind.

I noticed all of the dragons flying to the center of the room before dropping their food in, and my sarcasm could not be contained "well it is satisfying to know that all of our food is being dropped down a pit." After I said this, a small (for a gronkle at least) gronkle bobbed up and down on its way into the center to drop one small, regurgitated fish. The next moment, large teeth, followed by a massive dragon's head clamped around the gronkle, sending all of the other dragons cowering back as far as they could. I knew in that moment that it was definitely time to leave.

"C'mon bud, we gotta get out of here" I whispered to Toothless, who seemed to be frozen in place, with a facial expression as intense as if he were trying to push a mountain with all of his might. "Toothless, come on, we need to go" I said a little louder, and looked up to make eye contact with the massive beast. Oh, that can't be good. Like on a scale from one to screwed we are probably a solid 9. Instead of immediately blasting us with fire, or eating us, the behemoth slowly moved towards us.

"TOOTHLESS, we need to GO!" I tried raising my voice but did not get any response, so I desperately tried anything to make him move. I continued shouting his name, and started spurring him with my heel, flicking his earflaps (which I KNOW he hates), and shoving his head, but worked. I even tried to will him to move, but that unsurprisingly did not work… until all of a sudden it did.

_TOOTHLESS, move move move move get up we gotta go move move now fly run TOOTHLESS Toothless_

^_TOOTHLESS, WE NEED TO GO^_

I am not sure what happened next, but that last bit stirred him out of his trance. He shook his head and looked around, and I swear to Odin I heard someone say *_What the…? Oh crap I'm outta here!*_ Toothless began to take off, jumping up vertically and getting a huge lift from his wings, and as he did this I looked at the giant dragon and I could have sworn that it look dazed, confused, and angry. I didn't give it much thought as I helped Toothless navigate up and out of the top of the volcano.

Within a minute we were out of sight of the volcano, and on our way back to the Cove. Half way there, I was startled by a disembodied voice and jumped so badly that I barely hung in the saddle by a handhold.

*_So, uh… how did you do that back there?* _

"WHO'S THERE?" Come to think of it, I am lucky I didn't wet my pants. The whole "massive dragon" thing may have me on edge.

*_It's me, idiot. Talk with your head again, it's too hard to here you over the wind*_

I may have jumped this time, but not as much. This is improvement, I guess.

"Huh? How do I-"

*_What you did back at the nest. You called out my name with your head which broke Her concentration and freed me. Try it again. I've never heard of a Thumby talking like this.*_

I realized that the voice had a slight buzz to it, and that it was all, located within my ear. I focused on the buzz-turned-voice, and found that it was in the same spot of my head but felt like it was coming from… below me…

_^Toothless?^ _

*_Ding ding, give the man a prize! And here I thought you were one of the smarter Thumbies… huh.* _

This can't be happening. Any second now I am gonna wake up and forget about the talking Night Fury and massive mountain-dragon. I pinched myself, closed my eyes, and then reopened them. Nothing changed.

^_I can HEAR you? How does that work?^_

In all honesty, a very fair question. Something told me that this would be a very odd answer…

_*Dragons have always talked like this. All those growls and rumbles don't actually mean that much. You are the first Thumby I've ever heard of talking like this.*_

There's that word again. What the heck does he mean by "thumby?"

_^Why are you calling me that? What's wrong with my name?^_

_*Not much, aside from you've never told me your name…*_

_^…I haven't? Are you sur-well, huh. I guess not…^_

_*…aaaaand?*_

_^Oh, sorry. My name is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, so just Hiccup.*_

_^…really? You have a chance to tell me any name, impress me with something, cuz your 'vikingness' isn't scaring anyone, and you go with 'Hiccup?'*_

_*…shut up.*_

_^Heheh. I called you Thumby cause that's what we call your type. Not just the Vikings, but just Thumbies in general. It's a joke about how you are so defenseless except for all those stupid weapons you build with your thumbs… but 'Hiccup?' They must really have hated you to name you that… Oh well, I guess it _is _better that 'Toothless'^_

_*Ugh. Hurtful. Wait, so you don't have any other name?*_

_^No, dragons don't usually give names to anyone but family. We usually come up with titles based on something we have done. I am usually called Ghost, but that's just cuz I am the only Dark Death around.^_

_*Dark Death? Is that your term for your species?*_

_^First of all, 'species' is offensive. I am much more regal that you ever can hope to be…^_

I chuckled at this, and he flicked me in the face with his earfin.

_^Secondly, yes, but I think 'Night Fury' is more eccentric and splendid, so you may continue calling me that.^_

_*Oh, I'm sorry, your _highness_*_ I said very sarcastically and flicked his earfin in order to get back at him.

Although we continued to talk for a few more minutes, it was mostly banter back and forth. I guess either my sarcasm rubbed off on him, or I managed to shoot down the only being in existence who is as sarcastic as I am. I'm not sure how I feel about this.

The one thing Toothless managed to be serious about was the topic of my village. Ever since my rant earlier, he decided that I am too good to them and that I should leave. When I tried to argue against leaving, I found that I couldn't. I did not have anything truly tying me here, and with a Night Fury on my side I could go anywhere. The more I thought about it (and the more he _nagged_), the more I had made my mind up.

I am going to leave Berk, probably not forever, but that is still possible. As I headed back to the village, I told Toothless I would be back soon in order to plan my departure. I still am not sure whether or not I want to fake my death, write a letter, or just disappear.

But one thing is certain: my exodus has been set in motion.


	2. Enter: Stormfly

Exodus and Return-us

Author's Note: Other than this is a Hiccup Leaves story, I don't have many things planned out other than the ending. If you have something you think would be interesting, PM me and I'll see what I think. I've got no problem taking requests, and I will give you a shout out for your idea.

Big, giant, massive shout-out to Tannerleah97 for being my first reviewer! Thanks to all my reviewers!

Here is the story...

Exodus and Return-us

Chapter 2

After everything that I learned during my flight with Toothless last night, I went straight home and went to bed. When I woke up, I was confronted with so many questions my head hurt. Some of them were practical, like what how in the freaking heck I can to a dragon with my mind. Yea, that's at the top of the list. However, with training this morning, there was one question I could get an answer to: can I speak with other dragons?

I got up, fixed a quick breakfast, and headed out of the house. I was still munching on a small piece of roasted fish when I pulled up to the area, where I was surprisingly alone. Usually I am the last one there, but as I looked around I couldn't figure out why nobody else was there... until I took a closer look at the weapons rack, where I could see two sets of horns poking over the top. Coming from the side of the weapon rack was a rope, which went around the base of the wall, towards the cages, and…was tied to the lever for the Nadder cage. I instantly recognized this as one of the twin's hijinks, and booked it for the gate…which was closed. Astrid stood on the other side, looking smug yet irritated (if there is such thing) and looked me dead in the eye.

"Now we get to see a fair fight. We'll see how you _really_ do in there," she said with every expectation that 'Hiccup the Useless' was gonna screw up big again. Before I knew anything else, she whistled (right in my ear, too) and one of the twins pull the rope, which yanked the handle down and released the Deadly Nadder.

"Oh, that's just _perfect_…" I said as the Nadder walked out of the cage surprisingly calmly.

_Oh well, now's as good a time as any to try, I guess…Toothless will _kill_ me if I get hurt or die here…_ I tried to ignore the part of my brain that said dying would be best so he _can't_ kill me, but I didn't need any more discouraging thoughts. I was already solo-fighting a dragon without any weapons or defense whatsoever.

_^It's ok, if you can hear me. Can you understand what I am saying?^_ I figured that would get straight to the point, and the Nadder stopped walking and starred me down. It squawked once and rumbled slightly, the same way that Toothless does when speaking, but I didn't hear any words. I did hear a strong buzz, just like before I heard Toothless.

^_Did you say something to me? I couldn't understand you.^_

The Nadder tilted its head and rumbled once more, before turning towards the cage and walking back in… on its own… without any use of eels, I swear. It left me shocked, but I recovered quickly. Before the Nadder completely disappeared, I could swear on Mjolnir that it turned its head and _winked_ at me…

"Uh, um, well, _Astrid_-" I spat her name out as venomously as I could (which probably isn't too intimidating, but I try) "-I hope that answers your question, and clears up any doubts about my abilities. Even the dragons fear me!" As I finished that last part, the Nadder squawked in its cage, and to the others it sounded like it was afraid, I recognized it to be laughing at me. Not at _all_ helpful, but fortunately they don't know any better.

"B-but…you don't…you're not…I mean…How?" Astrid fumbled as if she had just seen Loki himself wearing a skirt and sipping tea cross-legged.

"I don't know, maybe I am just better than you Astrid" I replied, partially regretting saying it instantly and partially wanting to get a rise out of her.

Astrid in turn shot me a glare that could melt a glacier, but before anything else happened Tuffnut intervened and began begging me to mind-force the dragons to set the village on fire. While the idea sounded extreme, it scares me to say that a small part of me entertained that idea for longer than is natural. Before I was able to respond to Tuffnut, I heard a loud "Well, Hiccu', I say that after that show you are dismissed for the day. The rest o' ya will be taking on a Terrible Terror and a Gronkle at the same time" from Gobber, who looked bemused and stunned.

I gladly too my leave, and Gobber headed down the ramp to torture—I mean help—the other trainees. As we passed, Gobber commented "good work, lad. Yer father is gonna be happy to come home and find out his boy isn't a walking disaster anymore, amiright? Heheh, oh well, enjoy your day Hiccu'. I know I am about to have some fun!"

I usually try not to dwell on what Gobber says, especially after the whole 'it's what's _inside _that he can' stand' pep-talk, but what he said had me thinking the whole walk to the cove. No one cared at all what I did (other than mishaps with my inventions) before I could "fight" dragons, but ever since I hid who I really am and started doing well in Dragon Training, it's like I am everyone's favorite guy… and Gobber's right, my dad is definitely gonna love his son now that he is a good fighter…

Maybe it's possible that I don't belong here. If the real me was hated and the fake me was loved, then maybe there shouldn't be any me here at all…I am already planning on leaving, so I guess I need to pack my things…

Upon greeting Toothless after training, I told him of everything that went on. His first comment still haunts me on a deep level (that I'm not getting on the 'shaggin wagon' with that 'blonde maniac I am so crazy about' any time soon), but he laughed so hard he rolled into the pond when I told him about the Nadder winking at me… Apparently, the Nadder is female, so Toothless' new nickname for me is "lady killer," which he explained to be very clever for its double use, or would be if I could actually kill something…which I promptly responded with "lucky you" and his laughter died off into a deadpan stare. That is, until I told about how the Nadder laughed at me when I said that dragons are afraid of me, and the laughter flowed once more...

He did share my curiosity on why I can speak, and whether or not I can head-talk with other dragons, which is why I find myself out of my bed in this near-freezing nighttime. We agreed that I should go back and night and see if I can make any more progress with the Nadder, so I packed my pockets with Dragon Nip just in case I was, ya know, about to be eaten. Might come in handy.

So now I find myself pulling down the lever and peering into the cage. I decided to try my thought-speak-head-talk-thingamabob again, just cuz.

^_Can you hear me? Don't hurt me, I just wanna talk_^ I said, sounding none-too confident.

I somewhat hushed, sleepy squawk was my reply and the Deadly Nadder slowly outside the cage and kneeled down beside me. I took this as a sign that she did _not _want me dead, and slowly approached her with my hand out. Once I was close enough to reach out and touch her, I turned my head (just like with Toothless) and waited. However, unlike Toothless, she almost instantly pressed her snout (beak? Nose? What's the term for Nadder anatomy?) into my hand. I proceeded to scratch her head until she seemed pleased, and I tried talking again.

_^If you can hear me, bob your head up and down please^ _I said, hoping to get some form of communication going.

*^_Ok, can you not hear me?_^* I heard as she bobbed her head as I asked.

^_WHOA! I heard you that time!^_

_*^Well, I guess that answers that question then. Why can you talk to me?^*_

_^I don't know. I am friends with a Night Fury, you know, Dark Death or something, and I learned that I can speak like this after a little time with him…I think it has something to do with trust, because I didn't hear you until you touched my hand.^_

_*^Oh. Ok. Odd. Why aren't you attacking me like the fat ones?^*_

_^Uh…Oh the other Vikings? Yea I guess I don't really belong with them… I'm planning on leaving soon anyways…speaking of, would you like to like come with us?^_

_*^And get away from all these 'Vikings'? Is that even a question?^*_

_^Oh, yea. I guess I probably need to free you. What about the other dragons?^_

_*^HEY GUYS! THERE IS A SUPER SWEET THUMBY HERE WHO WANTS US TO FOLLOW HIM AFTER HE BREAKS US OUT OF HERE! ANYONE UP FOR IT?^*_

"GAHH! That was loud…"

After a short pause, when I heard a few small sounds from the cages, the Nadder replied.

_*^Yes, they all want to come. As soon as possible. Even the Hot Head, who is a real grouch sometimes.^*_

_^Oh, uh, ok. I guess I need to plan out how this is gonna work… I guess I will see you guys tomorrow during our Training.^  
>*^Ugh. Yes, but you people need to give me a rest. I can't keep these scales shining if I am always getting tossed in the dirt…^*<em>

_^Uhhh… ok, I will see what I can do. I'm Hiccup, by the way. What's your name? Err, title is it?^_

_*^…I don't really have on yet, but I did get hit by lightning once and flew a mile to land here and rest… which is how I was caught, but it was impressive anyways!^*_

I heard what sounded like a large snicker from the Nightmare cage, but ignored it.

_^Alright, well I guess I will call you Stormfly then, unless you like Bolt or Static or something.^_

_*^Stormfly sounds wooonnnderful…^* _she said with a purr that extended through the last word, then walked back into her cage. I bid her a farewell and closed the gate, then hurried back home to get out of the infernal cold.

I woke up the next morning, and started my routine like normal. I grabbed a piece of bread quickly and headed to the forge. I couldn't sleep after talking to Stormfly last night, so I stayed up making a list of things I would need to prepare before I could leave with Toothless and our herd (pack, group, posy? flock?) of dragons. I spent all morning working on the first item, which was a stiff leather mask to double as a wind guard (to keep my face warm and protect me from wind burns) and to hide my identity. I decided that I could spend a little time making it match Toothless, so I dyed the right half (left if you looked straight at me) black and left the other half the same tannish-orange as the leather on Toothless' saddle. Hopefully, it would look cool, but it might help identify me as a guy who rides a Night Fury and shouldn't be messed with. I sure hope that part works.

After completing my mask, I hid it in my room in the back and went back to my list:

Mask

Extra tail rigging parts

Seaxe

Dagger

Small Smith's hammer

Extra Leather bits

Charcoal Sticks

Extra paper

Light leather armor

I double checked my list, making sure I had means for minor smith work and repairs for Toothless' gear. The seaxe and dagger should provide _some_ meager form of defense, aside from a big and black Dark Death. _Yea, that probably isn't a great name…_

I began working on various small parts to Toothless' tail apparatus, planning on working until Gobber came to get me or came to work the stall. After an abnormally long wait, I had just finished Toothless' last replacement piece, a long connecting rod, when Gobber began to stroll up the street.

"AH! _There_ you are! I forgot to tell you that we are taking a break today. I see you've been busy this morning, whatcha up to now? You looking to burn down the docks or roast all our yaks and the barns that hold them?"

"HEY! I only did that _once_! Anyways, I was hoping to get your help with something…"

"What's that? The mighty Hiccup, master inventor of horrible machines, needs help from a humble old hobblin' grouch like me? Good to know all your success hasn't gone to yer head yet!"

"Ha. Ha. Actually, I wanted you to help me make some of this-" I opened up a few sketches of the light leather armor I had in mind "-so I can have at least _some_ cover without slowing me down."

"Hmmm. Yea, we can pretty easily get that done. And I guess a little sapling doesn't need his weight in metal armor to slow him down. Fine, we can work on getting you some armor. Just know that I think a true Viking doesn't need armor. I great warrior jus-"

"YES, I know Gobber. He runs into battle with whatever he has on. That's why my dad always wears that worn chain mail you have been known to run into a raid without pants… ugh…"

"Yep, I did. And those dragons turned and ran at the sight of such another monstrous beast, even though I _did _have me skivvies on."

"Thank Odin for small favors…" I mumbled under my breath. Although I didn't need the image stuck in my head, it felt good to work with Gobber on my armor. If things go according to plan, this may be the last time I get to work with him.

"Alright, bud. I made it with the last of the stuff" I announced as I walk into the cove with the last few items from my list. "With this, there is only one more thing to do before we can free the others and leave."

*_Oh boy. Have you decided what you are going to do about your disappearance yet?*_

_^Uh, no. I have kinda been avoiding it… I just don't know how I want to do this. I mean I can just leave without a word, fake my death, leave a note, or fly off in plain sight. None of them really sound very fun…^_

_*Whatever it is, make it quick. I hear the Cod to the west is _fantastic_ this time of year…*_

_^Oh, I'm SORRY. Is my dilemma over how I say goodbye to my home inconveniencing you?^_

_*Yes, yes it is. You would be wise not to keep a great dragon waiting!*_

_^Yea, I probably _should_ hurry up. I would hate to keep Stormfly all cooped up…^_

_*Exactl-HEY! Not funny!*_

_^I'm thinking I should leave a note. Nothing about you or anything, just a goodbye letter explaining why I can't stay. I doubt they'll take my reasons too seriously once word gets out that I left, but at least I'll be a deserter and not a traitor. Or dead.^_

_*Yea but come on. If they don't know about me then they'll think you would have died in three days if you didn't come home…*_

I took an exaggerated breath, and tried to say something against what he said, but came up with nothing.

_^Ugh. The sad part is they probably _will_ think that. Oh well, at least they won't hunt for us…^_

_*Yes, because flying around in a pack of dragons leaves you really vulnerable to fat Vikings calling for you to come home like a dumb puppy!*_

_^HEY! I wouldn't be a _dumb _puppy!^_

As if to spite me, the big black lizard started imitating a puppy hunt…

_*Here, stupid stupid stupid! Come here, I got a treat for you! Ugh, how far could that little mutt have gotten? Oi, over here! It feels like I am getting dumber if I keep walking! He must be this way!*_

_^WHY YOU DIRTY ROTTEN STINKING SPOILED UGLY LAZY FLYING EEL!^_

THAT got his attention.

_*Who are you calling an eel? You are the most pitiful excuse for a Viking I have ever seen!*_

_^Oh yes, you're the idiot Night Fury who got shot down by the worst Viking ever! What does that make you?^_

Silence. Toothless gave me his signature deadpan look, and we had a brief starring contest. I say brief because a dragon can naturally go longer without blinking. As soon as I blinked, Toothless went for a tail-flick to the head in a motion faster than I can usually think about dodging. However, this time, I saw it coming and had plenty of time to react. I casually dropped below the tail, and used it as a distraction to jump up and land with my stomach on Toothless' face. I held on for all I was worth, but he shook me off and I rolled into the grass. Instead of landing clumsily, like usual, I used my momentum and landed crouched over, with one hand out on the ground to slow my roll and steady myself. All in all, I looked like someone with incredible reaction skills, speed, and balance (the complete opposite of how I normally am).

*_Uh, HOW did _YOU_ do that?*_

_^I, uh, I don't know. Maybe you are rubbing off on me… I have never been that agile in my whole life, combined!^_

_*Odd. Anyways, you should get going. You gotta write those letters…_*

_^Oh. Yea. Ok, I will be back here tomorrow, and if I don't finish the letters I will bring them with me and we can work on them.^_

As I walked out the entrance of the cove, I yelled back 'bye' to Toothless, who was already dazing in the sunlight, on his back, absorbing the heat into his belly.

_Lazy reptile_.

I started to jog back to the village, which normally would take me about 15 minutes. However, 9 minutes into the jog, something felt off about a bush up ahead on the path. I am not sure what it was, but I was on edge as I ran by it. Good thing, too. Next thing I knew, Astrid jumped out of the bush, axe first, and those same reactions I had with Toothless kicked in again. Before Astrid truly knew what was going on, I had spun to use her own momentum from her jump against her. As she landed on the ground, I kicked her axe away, and held my tiny little seaxe against her throat. Within one full second, she had gone from in a bush to disarmed and pinned, and the look on her face told me she had no clue what happened.

^_Goodness, you scared me…_^ _Oh, crap, gotta speak normally…_

"Gosh, A-Astrid, uh hi. You kinda scared me there…"

I let her up, put away my seaxe, and as I looked back I up was greeted with a nice right hook to the face, then held at axe point from her now-retrieved axe.

"Ok, Hiccup. Time to come clean. What the heck is going on?"

Author's Note (again):

Leave a review on how you think Hiccup and Toothless' relationship is coming.

For any of my readers who have read Calvin and Hobbes before, leave a comment or PM me about how you think I am doing on Toothless' personality. If you have anything specific that Toothless could do to seem more like Hobbes, I really would like to hear it.

Well, events have been set in motion. I expect next chapter to include goodbye letters and the actual departure.

This was a quick update because I have had a light week in school. Finals are approaching, so that will probably slow me down, but we have an early break for Christmas/New Year's (we are done Dec 9th I think) so after that I should be able to keep up a decent pace. I definitely didn't expect to upload twice in one week, so consider this a present!


	3. SNAP What was that? Oh, my ties to Berk

Exodus and Return-us

This begins in Ruffnut's point of view.

Chapter 3

Gobber gave us the day off, and while that was awesome, there wasn't anything to do. Sure, Tuff and I dumped a bucket of cold sea water on Snotlout's head. Sure, we tricked some of the young kids into thinking that shadows were the souls of all the yaks we eat. But there wasn't anything major to occupy the day. Until I saw the look on Astrid's face.

Astrid was walking towards the woods with her axe, and chances are Hiccup was already in the woods somewhere. I knew that if Astrid found Hiccup, then I would have my major event to watch. And it would be glorious. Besides, there probably needs to be _someone _to witness whatever Astrid does, if she did catch Hiccup.

So, using the stealth I perfected from years of pranking people, I followed Astrid into the woods. For a while, I hid in a tree and watched her launch her axe at it while grumbling about everything from the "stupid bright flowers" that distracted her and threw off her aim by two inches, to "that stupid lying boy" who had everyone "fooled with his charm and fake talent." Astrid was, easy to say, not having a good day. Or week. Or month, for that matter…

Once, Astrid threw her axe, retrieved it, and peaked around the base of the tree. I couldn't see what she saw, but she went from wildly angry to focused and determined within a second, and then hid in a nearby bush. I had no clue what was going on, until I saw Hiccup jogging past the tree (coming from the far side, so he missed the obvious cuts in the tree from Astrid's axe) and came right past Astrid's bush. I cringed as I realized what Astrid was about to do to the poor fishbone…

Then, in an instant, my mind was like blown. Completely, fully blown. Astrid had pounced beautifully, but Hiccup spun in the blink of an eye, pinned Astrid against the ground, and disarmed her. If you thought _I_ was surprised, the look on Astrid's face was priceless! She looked as if she had been possessed by a ghost, then had returned to life to see what had become of her. Hiccup mumbled something to her that I couldn't hear, the got up and sheathed his little knife-thingy.

And that's how I got to where I am now. Astrid took the change to sucker punch him and retrieve her axe. The punch was particularly cringe-worthy, as she landed it on his cheek and Hiccup spun half-way around and fell down with the force of it. Astrid pinned him to the ground with her foot and said something that make Hiccup nervously swallow. I figured that now would be a good time to get closer, so I hopped down and crawled to the bush Astrid had jumped from.

"There is _no _way that I am buying that you miraculously became better than me, and a butterfly wouldn't be scared of you, so the dragons definitely aren't. START. TALKING!" Astrid lectured with Hiccup looking as if a dragon had him pinned to the ground. Actually, it was worse than that. Hiccup has always looked scared of dragons, but right now he looked absolutely petrified. It would be quite amusing if I wasn't worried about what Astrid would do.

"I-uh, well, um-uh…I guess, that, uh…maybe I-" Hiccup fumbled before Astrid's patience wore thin.

"_Yes?_ I'm waiting!"

"Um…"

Astrid finally grew tired of his stuttering, and she moved her head slightly back, revealing more of her face to me… She looked absolutely _deranged_. Not the "bloodlust on the battlefield" look, but more of the "you have ruined my life, I am now going to enjoy ruining yours" look.

"How are you so good with the dragons, Hiccup? Are you training with someone? Is someone teaching you these _tricks_ that make you look better?"

"Uh, tricks? What do you mean by tricks?" Hiccup had finally recovered enough sense to derail Astrid's train of thought, if only slightly.

"Don't lie! You don't even attack the dragons and they fall over anyways! WAIT, is _Gobber_ doing this to make you look better?"

"WHAT? No, he isn't doing anything, per usual." I had to hold in a chuckle. Gobber never seems to do much at all.

"Don't lie, Hiccup! That's it, isn't it? Gobber is throwing the training sessions so you can look better!"

"Astrid, how would he even _do_ tha-?"

"It's so you don't disappoint everyone, isn't it? You couldn't take being such a failure, so you corrupted Gobber to fake your rise to fame so you wouldn't disappoint your name, IS THAT IT!?" Astrid, although she didn't have a bad theory, wasn't receiving the guilty and cowardly attitude out of Hiccup that she expected. Instead, Hiccup looked slightly enraged, as if he was struggling to hold in some sort of anger.

"Well, Ms. Perfect Viking, why don't we go fight a dragon and see who does better, _without_ Gobber's knowledge. Surely if YOU set it up I can't possibly cheat…" _Oh SNAP! Hiccup just CHALLENGER __Astrid__! This could get ugly_…

"That sounds like a _perfect_ idea, loser. Let's go, NOW!" She said as she dragged Hiccup by the arm towards the village. I followed them, figuring that a dragon match in the arena would be the greatest thing to do in a while…

I sure hope that Hiccup survives this, though.

"Ok, Astrid, we're here. Which dragon do you want to fight?" I said, thinking of how to do this. I can talk to the dragons, so I can let them know how to beat Astrid and how to put up a show against me. Hopefully, Astrid will lose AND I will win, silencing her for good. Or infuriating her. Either way doesn't matter, I won't be here much longer anyways…

"I want the Nadder. Without Gobber here, I bet it actually puts up a good fight against you."

"Alright, fine. You release it and I will be over here waiting…"

Astrid walked over to the handle, and pulled it down. During that time, I spoke out to Stormfly.

_^Stormfly, can you hear me?^_

_*^Yes, what's going on?^*_

_^Astrid wants to fight a dragon with me without Gobber here so I can't 'cheat.' She doesn't know that I can just talk to you.^_

_*^Stupid girl. What do you need me to do?^* _

_^Astrid is going to open your cage. Walk out slowly and menacingly, eye us down, then go for her first. She likes to sideways jump-roll to avoid charges, so pull up on your charge and shoot your spikes. If you can pin her shield to the ground while she rolls, she will be completely stuck and humiliated.^_

_*^Sounds fun! Then what?^*_

_^Approach her slowly, like you are going to finish her off, then I am going to jump in and save her. I'll just jump on your neck, so fight back a little and then tumble over like I won. That oughta drive her nuts!^_

_*^Ok, I'll do it! Anything else Hiccup?^*_

_^Nope. Get Ready.^_ I finished that last part as Astrid pulled the lever.

Astrid sprinted back over to the weapons rack and grabbed her axe and a shield. Stormfly walked out slowly, just like we planned, and the charged Astrid. As expected, Astrid tumbled and Stormfly shot her spikes. Apparently, either Stormfly is an excellent shot, or Nadders are in general, because three spikes drove her shield into the ground, two spikes pinned her skirt, and one spike pinned each of her should guards. Despite all the close calls, Astrid was left unharmed.

"UGH! WHAT?!" Astrid called out, partially distressed and partially confused. Stormfly closed in, and Astrid's eyes went wide as she realized her fate. She must have figured that I would let her die after everything she said to me, so the look on her face when I "wrestled" Stormfly to the ground was priceless. Once Stormfly was "out," I turned to Astrid.

"Y-you? But? How did you-? Why woul-I mean, HOW?" She struggled to find the right word, probably uncertain of what just went down.

I took the moment to remember how Astrid had treated me my whole life, and then how she treated me once I started dragon training. My whole life, I wanted to catch her eye, but I was nowhere _near_ good enough to be noticed by Astrid Hofferson. The best things she would ever do to me were ignore me. But now that I can fight dragons, she despises me. Everything that I have ever done to get her attention has failed, and ultimately made her hate me. It's a vicious cycle if you ask me, and it needs to stop. I'm not certain what part of me took over, but I was consumed by courage and a righteous anger that I have felt ever since Toothless.

Before I could say anything, Astrid found her tongue:

"_You_ saved **me**? Each word was stressed, as if you could stress each word for a different meaning. I had a feeling it summed up her, surprise, outrage, and shame.

"I'm done chasing after you, Astrid…..Don't ever talk to me or expect me to save you _again_."

All things considered, I said that last part calmly. So calm that it was almost eerie, just like how the scariest threats a parent can make are whispered into your ear…

One more reason to pack up and leave Berk: I no longer care for one of the two Vikings that I actually like. (The other being Gobber, of course)

Upon returning to Berk, Stoick was caught off-guard about a lot of things. The village hadn't burnt down, Gobber trying to convince Stoick that his son was doing better, and the cheery attitude the villagers had. That last part was extremely odd, since Hiccup's name seemed to be the center of their cheer. Gobber assured Stoick that it was because of his son' success, and not that he ran away.

There were even plans for a party as both a welcome home to the boats and a "thank _Odin_ that Hiccup isn't 'Hiccup' anymore" party. Stoick had every intention of going to a good party.

Most of Stoick's day went well after that, leading up to the talk Stoick had with Hiccup at Gobber's stall. Hiccup seemed on edge, but lightened up after Stoick revealed he was pranking him. While Stoick left the stall feeling a little awkward (he still didn't have much to talk about with his son, other than the helmet he gave Hiccup) Stoick felt as if a good time was had with Hiccup.

His little "secrets" prank was hilarious, and ended with a good "Odin, it was rough! I almost gave up on you boy, and all the while you were holding out on me! I'm so proud that you've found you footing in the fights, son!" While Hiccup looked a little off-put, he was sure it was just nervousness about being so popular now.

Now, Stoick is at the party, and the mead and food are flowing despite the need to stock up for the winter.

Spitelout came over to Stoick, only partially drunk so far, and gave his congratulations!

"Thank Thor that he isn't such a disaster! Who knows, maybe he can outdo his father, eh?" Spitelout went into a fit of drunken laughter, and Stoick joined in heartily.

Gobber hobbled over, after having put away half a barrel by himself.

"Stoi', toni' I'm celebratin', I am! No one's put mo' work into that lad over th' years, and I say its abou' time his stock came in! You oughta hear the story tha' Ruffnu' was tellin' about Astrid and Hiccu'! It's incredible I tell ye!"

"HAHA, well Gobber, I think I would like to hear this story! Where is she-oh, never mind. Those Thornston twins never were one to pass up a party where their parents were too drunk to care about them getting a mug!"

Stoick walked over to hear Ruffnut telling an (exaggerated) tale about Hiccup singlehandedly wrestling a down a Nadder that was about to finish off Astrid, who was easily pinned to the ground by the Nadder's spikes.

"Ruffnut, I do nae believe all of your story, but a tale like that deserves a toast!" Ruffnut took my speech for what it was, an open call of more mead!

Ruffnut's story was the last thing Stoick remembered, before he woke up the next morning in the great hall with most of the villagers.

As he walked back to his house, he had a splitting headache, and decided that unless a Night Fury itself dragged him from his bed, that nothing important would happen the whole day. Most of the village had the same idea.

However, this caused Stoick to pass by a letter that was left on the doorframe until the next morning…

_Stoick,_

_Let me start by saying that I am not sorry about leaving, but I am sorry about having stayed for so long. These 15 years have been hard on you and the village, and it is time that I make it easier. _

_I have left this place, for where I know now, but looking for a place to call home. This place is many things, but I'd never call it home: it's just the buildings in a village that I've always known. I've seen many faces, but this doesn't feel like home. _

_I have never been loved, wanted, or even accepted here, and I have outstayed my welcome. It's time that I fix this, so I won't be coming back._

_This is a goodbye letter, but don't mourn for me. I am not certain that you would, but don't anyways. A goodbye isn't something to be sorry about. Ask Gobber about goodbyes sometime, after the dust has settled. It may help you make sense of all this._

_I am renouncing my ties to Berk, including my right as heir to the village. While normally Snotlout would be next, I would advise against that for 75 reasons (all of them are his IQ points). A few days ago I would have recommended Astrid as heir, but now I am not sure. Quite possibly, marrying someone off to a foreign heir would be the best idea. _

_Goodbye._

_Hiccup_

^_Well, what do you think bud?_

_*Sounds good to me. Not to short, not too long, but it gets the message across. What about the letter for Gobber?*_

_^Yea, I have that one too. His was harder, because he will actually miss me, so I had more important things to say…^_

_Gobber, _

_I took a lot of your stuff from the forge. Sorry about that, but I need it… well, now that's out of the way, time for the main reason of the letter._

_I am leaving Berk, Gobber. I know this seems odd, but I have been overdue to leave for a while now. It's been no secret between us that everyone here makes me miserable, and that all my life I have just wanted to be accepted. Now I know that I don't just want to be accepted; I want to be accepted for __who I am_.  _I can't explain, but I am going somewhere I am accepted. _

_I wrote Stoick a letter renouncing my ties to Berk, but I figured I owe you an apology (not just for taking your stuff) and a thank you. _

_I'm sorry that I am leaving you, Gobber, because you are now the last person on Berk I care about. I left you some of my favorite inventions in my work shed, if you ever want to try them out. You should, they can be really helpful around the forge. I don't know if I will be back, but I will miss you. I will try to deliver you a letter or a memento or something every year or so._

_I want to thank you for everything (except developing my sarcasm. That PROBABLY wasn't a great thing). You've been there for me, pushed me through some hard times, and taught me skills that will keep me employed now that I am gone. You've been the closest thing to a father I could ask for. _

_Please, tell my father that I've done the best I can to make him realize this is my life; I hope he understands. I'm not angry, I'm just saying that sometimes goodbye is a second chance. _

_Please don't cry one tear for me, I'm not afraid of what I've done today. This is my one and only voice, so listen close because its only for today. _

_I'm Sorry,_

_Hiccup_

_*…wow, talk about a corny line! "Sometimes goodbye is a second chance?"*_

_^ Come on, you are ruining the mood!^_

_*Alright, fine. So we are leaving tonight?*_

_^Yes. I am going to fly you near the arena, then I will free the others and meet up on Stormfly. From there, we can carry our stuff and fly out. Sound good?^_

_*As long as we get some of that cod!*_

_^…You're hopeless…^_

It was already dark in the village, and I had just finished that long, awkward talk about my dad. It was made worse by the fact that he even said that he was only proud of my skills, just like everyone else in this village. He said something about a party in the Great Hall, and left to go feast and get drunk. A perfect opportunity for me.

I ran by my house, and posted the letter on the inside of the door so he wouldn't see it until he got up and left the next morning, then went to the forge and left Gobber's note on the anvil.

As I made my way to the arena, I noticed a lack of anyone around the village. _Man, that must be one big party. I wonder what they are celebrating. _ I made it to the arena, and walked in the open gate.

I walked over to Stormfly's cage, and pulled the lever.

Stormfly burst out, ready for a fight.

_*^ALRIGHT, WHO WANTS A PIECE OF THIS?!...oh, hi Hiccup. What's up?^*_

_^Today's the day, girl. We are leaving. Wake the others up and tell them what's going on. I am releasing the gronkle next.^_

Stormfly started yelling at the others, and I released each dragon from its cage without difficulty.

^_Alright, guys, Toothless is at the edge of the forest. Let's go pick him up and get out of here.^_

We made our way to Toothless, and I told everyone to be silent just in case someone was on watch. Unlikely, and if they were they would watch the skies for raids, but still doesn't hurt to be careful.

I climbed on Toothless, and I got an idea: a last "screw up" for Berk, one more chance at damaging the village in my unique way. I whispered my idea to Toothless, and we shot up in the air.

I directed Toothless towards the arena, and he shot into a dive. At the last second, he pulled up and let out two large plasma blasts. The following explosion was loud and we all took off, but I left a gift to Berk: a massive whole in the arena that would keep them from any Dragon Training for a while.

"How's that for a Hiccup?" I said as I put on my mask and we flew off to start a new life…

Author's Note: And there it is. Hiccup is gone! Letters have been written, dragons freed! All events are set in motion now!

This is kinda crazy, two updates in one day from a guy who didn't think he would have much time to write at all, but I had a light load this morning and decided "what the hey! Why not?"

Again, shout out to my reviewers, and everyone who has followed the story so far (all 10 of you).

If you have any ideas, suggestions, comments, concerns, feedback, or interesting things to put in the story, review or PM me! I am always up for new ideas!

If you have read Calvin and Hobbes (and love it like me), tell me what your thoughts on Toothless' personality are! I would love to hear about this! If you have an idea for something for Toothless to say or do, please tell me.

(I am already plotting for Toothless to pounce on Hiccup, but it is gonna be part of the story!)

I thought this chapter would be shorter by 500 words but I couldn't let this chapter end on Stoick so I had to keep going.

Responses to my reviews (I won't do direct responses in the story often, but here they are):

NightsAnger: One of my goals was for the story to feel natural and un-rushed, because a lot of fics are! Thanks for the comment!

June Odyssey: I am with you in that I typically don't like stories where Toothless talks because the dialogue is often stale and just a plot device. So when I decided Toothless needed to talk, I tore my heart in half but did it anyways. I chose his personality because it is modelled from Hobbes in "Calvin and Hobbes" which is an old comic. I read collections of these when I was little and Hobbes has affected my personality to the point where I am a living ball of sarcasm, so it was an easy choice to use him. I am glad it is working!

storyholder: I wanna say thanks but honestly your review confused so, uh, thanks? :D

FaN FiCtIoN RuLe: Thanks for the encouragement

I already shouted out to my first reviewer, but thanks anyways tannerleah97


	4. Nest, Squad, Enter (and Exit): Drago

Exodus and Return-us

Author's Note: All right guys I will make this one short. I have a decent idea of where I want this story to go now, and everything along the way will be a surprise for all of us.

I do want to say that I want this story to stand out from other stories and I want this story to stay within itself. I am not against major characters dying (except Hiccup and Toothless) as long as it is a natural progression of the story. I am not going to go out of my way to kill off characters very often.

I also want this story to kinda "hit you in the feels" so I am gonna explore Hiccstrid somewhat (later on, though) but I am unsure if I want them to end up in a cheesy way or if I want them to be the one that got away.

I want you to remember this story in a good, but unique, way, and I _am_ willing to sacrifice my fav HtTYD ship to do that.

Oh and about 1000 words in my spell check decided not to check anything at all (it says I said not to check it. I NEED it!) so I will try to go back over it, but it will have a few more small mistakes.

This is my longest chapter so far, and prepare yourself for a little bit of action!

Chapter 4

We literally had just left Berk, and we already are having an argument so heated that we had to land in order to settle it. We flew a whole two minutes before landing on a small rock outcropping that literally had no more room once we landed.

It did not help that I hadn't bonded with the other dragons enough in order to hear them, so I could only hear half of the arguments.

_*NO! A group of birds is called a "flock." I don't know about you guys, but _I_ am a little better than a bird!*_

(A few buzzes that I couldn't understand, but I am pretty sure that they were insults at Toothless)

_*^Yea, and sooo much more humble, O Mighty Cripple!^*_

_*STORMFLY! I thought you were on _my_ side!*_

_*^Well I am sorry, it's hard to side with someone who's ego is bigger than the Queen!^*_

_*You would vote for us to be called a flock, 'Fly. You look like a scaled chicken!^*_

_^Oh, SNAP! You gonna take that girl?^ _I couldn't help myself, I just _had_ to fuel the fire here for a second.

_*^Yea, but this chicken doesn't need two tailfins to fly!^*_

_Oh no she didn't! Toothless is never gonna take that…_ Surprisingly, he ignored her and started name-calling with the Monstrous Nightmare.

_*…Oh YEA? That's how you wanna play, long neck? Well at least I don't have a brain smaller than Hiccup!*_

_^Oh DANG! You tell'em Toothles-WAIT A MINUTE! YOU THINK THAT'S FUNNY!?^_

Toothless started laughing so hard that he tipped over on his side, forgetting that we were on a small rock, and fell straight into the water. Normally, this would be hilarious…except, _I _am still on his back…

^_Useless winged eel! That's COLD WATER!^ _I mentally shouted at him. If Toothless was insulted by the term 'eel,' then he was laughing too hard to show it.

*^_GUYS! Let's keep flying and find a place to land. We can settle this little feud later.^*_

_*Fine. I still think we should call ourselves a posse…*_

_^Toothless, we aren't clowns, nor or we gay…oh wait, uh, _I _am not. Do, uh, well, dragons ever like bat for the other team?^_

_*^What do you mean 'bat for the other team?'^*_ Stormfly answer in a completely puzzled voice.

This left me having to ask the only female dragon (that I am aware of so far) if there were such a thing as gay dragons… Ugh, great times, huh?

_^Like do guy dragons ever, uh, team up with other guys?^_

_*^Team up? Like all of us are now?^* _

_^NO NO NO! I mean do dragons ever like…^ _At that moment, I caught just a glimpse of Toothless face (which he had ducked as soon as the conversation started), and saw how _hard_ he was trying not to laugh.

When I caught him, ALL of the dragons laughed at me. Hard. I am pretty sure that my red cheeks shown through my mask, lighting up the dusk sky like a fire.

_*^…anyways, no. That's just something Thumbies do, as far as I know. Shall we go?^*_

_^YES, lets. I say we head south and find some place that will be a little warmer to endure all 9 months of winter.^_

And with that completely unnecessary break, that started as an argument over what to call a small group of dragons, we finally had a true heading: south.

We flew all morning, catching fish along the way and cooking mine on the back of the Nightmare (a handy trick, although the dragon wasn't too flattered to be my personal grill), and a couple of hours after noon we spotted what appeared to be a decently large island ahead. Upon further inspection, we found it to be a massive atoll: there was an outer ring that must have been at least a mile thick all the way around, with a massive freshwater lake in the middle. In the center of the lake was a large rock plateau that went perfectly straight up and was overgrown with small, thin vines in most places. At the top of the plateau was nothing but rich, green grass. However, at the center there was a hole that lead down into the heart of the plateau.

Naturally, a hollow plateau in the middle of a perfect atoll _must _be explored, so we sent the Nightmare in (on fire, mind you) to light up the way. He called something back up, just buzzing to me, and I heard Stormfly's reply:

_*^Amazing! This must have been an old nest! Do you see any holes in the walls to let light in?^*_

After a few more buzzes (which have grown louder since we first met, so the 'grill' experience must have bonded us!), Stormfly replied again:

_*^Then burn all of those vines away! Let's see what is under there.^*_

At that point, the Hideous Zippleback (who went largely unnoticed because it didn't argue much earlier) jumped down the whole and started lighting up all of the vines in sight. The vines caught quickly, and the fire spread like… uh, fire? _Crap, now I gotta think of a good analogy for that._

I expected a funnel of smoke to come out the entrance, so I turned my head, only to notice smoke coming from just past the edge of the plateau. Both dragons reemerged, and we all decided to sit and wait for the fire to run its course.

*^_With any luck, there will be enough holes in the walls to fully light the place. It looks like an old nest dug straight into the rock, so it will have internal chambers lining the entire height, along with outer chambers and a one large chamber in the middle that could connect them both.^*_

I decided to use this time to begin bonding with the dragons that I didn't know.

I approached both the Gronkle and the Nightmare, reached out and gently touched both of their snouts.

_^So I don't think we have been properly introduced, but my name is Hiccup. The annoying black baby is Toothless (which earned me a loud *HEY*), and the lovely Nadder here is Stormfly.^_

_*Oh, I see. The girl gets the good introduction while you leave a guy hanging? Harsh move, fishbones!* _Toothless retorted as Stormfly just preened.

I gave both the dragons that I was touch a few scratches, and within a few seconds I could hear them talking.

They didn't have anything important to say, aside from the typically "thank you for saving us, nice to meet you" stuff, so I moved on to the Zippleback and repeated the process for both heads. I looked around for the Terrible Terror, but was unable to find him until Stormfly informed me that he decided to fly solo. This disheartened me until Toothless told me that Terrors were more like puppies to the other dragons, and weren't very smart on their own.

^_Ok, now that we can all speak, what do you all want to be called_?^

*_WAIT, why do THEY get a choice_?* Toothless burst out.

^_I don't know, I guess they didn't get show down by a 'fishbone.'^_

_*^He has you there, Toothless.^* _Stormfly chimed in.

*_Grrrr…*_

_^So, uh, do any of you have a name? Or a title?^_

_*^I am known as Hookfang, for as a young dragon I fended off a much older of my kind only taking one blow that knocked my largest fang sideways. To compensate, I have bent all my teeth, hence my name.^* _That was the Nightmare, and just through the way he talks I can already tell that he is going to have problems with the rest of our group. His ego could punt Toothless' off the edge of the cliff here.

^_Ok, Hookfang, got it. What about you?^ _I pointed to the Zippleback, not sure which head would respond.

*^_Well…^* _The voice came out somewhat raspy and eerily, like the voice itself could slither *^…_I was only ever called Barf because the fish around the old Nest made me sick. I would throw up so much that they made it my name…^*_

I did not even have time to fully feel sorry for the half-Zippleback before the other head chimed in with a creepy chuckle.

_*^He he he, yea, it made you Barf but I got the fun end of the deal. The fish just gave me gas, so-^* _Oh, great. This should be fun _*^-they called me Belch! What were you thinking? He he he, I know what you were thinking Hiccup! That's what people called us when we turned around! HE HE HE!^*_

Great. I have another dragon with an ego problem, and one dragon who's butt was apparently known as "Fart" to the other dragons. I am almost afraid to ask the Gronkle now…

_Here goes nothing…_

_^And what about you?^_

_*^Oh, Gronkles only eat rocks, but I used to help other dragons carry around extra food. Can you guess what my name is then?^*_

Oh brother, now I get to _offend_ this dragon by guessing horribly…

_^Uh, food and carry…Foodwagon? Chowcart? Fishnet?^ _While I am at this, I should probably figure out if this is a girl or guy…

*^_Ok, you can stop. Those are awful guesses. It's Meatlug, and YES, I am a girl so you don't have to try to figure out how to broach the subject…^*_

Oh. Huh. That answers that. Out of the corner of my eye, Toothless is laying down with his mouth pressed into his paws, trying so hard not to laugh at me… _Useless reptile…_

^_Well, since that's over, anyone want to check on the fire? WAIT, was ANYONE watching the FIRE?^_

_*Oh… You know, I have heard that leaves massive fires unattended can lead to bad things, but I wasn't really sure. Guess I am about to find out, huh?* _Toothless said then shot me his gums-grin, which made me a little less incredulous. A little.

_*^Whoa, check this place out, guys! It's incredible!^*_

Toothless flew me down into the large central chamber. With all the vines gone, we found that the walls had large holes serving as windows taking up half of the space. This let an enormous amount of light into the outer chambers, and filtered the sunlight so that the central chamber and the smaller, connected chambers were lit evenly.

Flying straight down from the hole in the center of the roof, we flew into the central chamber, which was round and went down as far, if not farther, than the entire plateau. Lining the walls all the way down were the smaller chambers (still large enough for a family of dragons to live comfortably, though) that stacked upon each other all away around. There were four gaps in the walls that split the walls containing the small chambers into fourths, and these gaps led to the outer chamber. As Toothless flew around, I directed him towards the outer chambers so that I could get a better look.

The entire outer chamber was just one large circle surrounding the inner chamber. However, there was an enormous amount of space here, that would allow up to a few hundred dragons to fly freely. It was possible that a lot more dragons could fly here, but I wouldn't be able to tell unless we had more dragons.

We flew back into the inner chamber and Toothless and I landed inside a chamber on the top row, with a great view but the sun coming from the side so you could lie down in the shade of the wall. A great place to take a nap, or sleep overnight since the sun in your face would wake you up next morning.

All of the dragons flew over to us, and I took the chance to say something dramatic. Something that we would look back upon with memories and think "that was just a really cool thing for Hiccup to have said. It really drove home the feeling of belonging." I paused slightly, and then went for it:

_^Guys, Welcome to our new hom-^ _*_SQUAD!* _Toothless yelled out as loud as he could in an extremely excited way, effectively cutting me off.

_*That's what a group of dragons like us is. A Squad!*_

_*^Oh yea, I like that!^* _Stormfly chimed in.

_^Guys I was trying to say something-^ *^Yea, that has a nice ring to it.^*_ Meatlug cut me off…

^_Guys, I was-_^ _*^Yes, that does have a sense of power behind it. I accept.^*_ This time it was Hookfang. _Stupid freaking Night Fury. It was gonna be epic, but NOO! Had to go all "Squad" on me…_

_^Guy-^ *^Yes, Squad sounds awesome!^* *^Why didn't we start with that name?^*_ This time the Zipplebacks… _Son of Loki, has everyone interrupted me enough?! _

_^Anyone else?^_ Oh, wait. I didn't mean to mind-say that, I just wanted to mind think it…ugh, this new ability is too confusing.

_*Oh, I'm sorry Hiccup. Were you saying something?*_

OH. NOW he gets it. Useless reptile.

_^Who me? Oh I just wanted to make an epic, climatic statement about us finding a new home here, but "Squad" works too…^_

_*^I don't know what this guy is talking about, Belch, but I think that "Squad" is epic enough.^* *^Right you are, Barf, what's gotten into him?^*_

And that is how we came to live inside an abandoned nest within the hallow stone walls of a mile wide, half-mile high plateau within a lake within a mile wide atoll, a half-day's flight south of Berk.

It has only been a week, yet I already have a mountain of plans to upgrade our own little nest. However, the most important step for all of them will be making trading ties with a nearby village. The only problem with that will be figuring out how to show up at a village without riding the sunset with a Night Fury. That would likely freak some people out. Instead, I have formulated a plan to get into the good graces of a nearby village.

Recently, on some of our flights, Toothless and I have spotted pirates preying on ships that seem to be from the Bog Burglars' fleet. We have been watching these pirates, and this morning they hijacked a Bog Burglar ship and sent the crew on 2 of the 3 life craft, which means that the village likely isn't too far away. Now, all I have to do is take the ship and return it to the Bog Burglars, and just like that I will be on their good side.

Of course, I skipped over the part where we gotta kill about 40 pirates, and tow the boat to the Bog Burglars, but that's the easy part. Ok, maybe not, but at least I have dragons on my side.

We have already set a plan to ambush the pirates at night. Stormfly reported that the pirates are being led by a large, husking man with dark hair and a dark cloak. She claims that his ruthlessness could be spotted from her place in the sky, because he has already kill 2 of his own pirates in his rage. Good, 38 more to go. Although it sucks to be those two… Stormfly also said that he favors his right side, using it to wield a large metal staff with two spikes on the end, one pointing up and one pointing out.

Right now, as I sit on Toothless back as we are preparing to strike, I go over the plan in my mind. It is pretty simple, scare tactics and herding the pirates towards the edges so they can jump ship. That should at least give them a chance; I'm not sure I could stomach just slaughtering them, though watching them massacre the Bog Burglars who first owned the ship makes it easier.

The first step of the plan is for Toothless to dive at high speed, perform his eerie whistle, and then blast the base of the mast. This should effectively show off our strength without damaging the ship beyond repair (cuz hey, we gotta bring back the Bogs something). That should send the man into a panic long enough for Stormfly to set all the sails on fire, illuminating out targets. After that, all the dragons will dive-bomb the ship, causing minimal damage to the ship by hitting soft targets…the pirates, in case you were wondering. From there, a few more Night Fury shots should be enough to make any pirate (or maybe even a Viking) jump ship.

I signaled for Toothless to go, and we started off without a hitch. Fast dive, terrified pirates, big explosion. Stormfly lit the sails up, and the pirates were already my panicked than I anticipated. In fact, it only took one round of dive bombing for the last 15 pirates to all pile up into the last boat and high-tail it out of there.

I directed Toothless to land on the bow, and walked down to the main deck. The previous occupants had been so rushed that they had left a plethora of weapons behind, and I sifted through them until I found something that somewhat suited me. They weren't ideal, but double short swords were easily my best choice amongst heavy maces and broadswords.

"Captured a Night Fury, huh? Impressive. Takes a special kind of man to do that." The voice was blanketed in a thick accent, and I whipped myself around to face the man Stormfly must have mentioned. Large, built almost as a mirror to my father, with heavy armor and the staff 'Fly mentioned.

"Well, I guess it takes a man, but you sure don't look like much without that beast…"

"Who are you?"

He ignored my question and continued his rant, or I should say, his monologue. It was as if he thought I was surrounded and hopelessly outmatched… I desperately hoped he was wrong.

"When I set out to capture dragons for my army, imagine my surprise to find not one, but two dragon riders! Hah! And this twig of a boy has a Night Fury at his heels!"

I felt Toothless' presence behind me, and assumed that he crawled down to back me up. I could also _feel_ that Stormfly had taken a perch on top of the tallest mast left, and that the others were circling above.

"What do you want?"

"Oh, am I glad you asked! I find myself in need of someone like you. I figure if you can capture a Night Fury, then you can help me get the biggest of them all!"

Wait, this guy wants to capture the massive Queen? Is he crazy?

Yes, yes he is. That much is obvious.

"Are you crazy? Going after that thing would be suicide!"

"Ah HA! So it DOES exist, huh? Well then, boy, you are going to take me to it and enslave it for me, or I am going to add that Night Fury's scales to my cape!"

_^Guys?^_

_*Stormfly is on over watch. She could hit his pinky toe if she tried. The rest are preparing to dive bomb him. I don't think that we should help him…*_

"Well, I think you are going to be disappointed!"

"A pity… Oh well, I guess you would like his help fight me, wouldn't you? NOW, boys!"

_*I don't like the sound of that…*_

Before I could react, a net had been shot from behind this lunatic and 3 more pirates appeared out of a hatch in the floor.

_*^I will take care of those three pirates, Hiccup. Stormfly, cover him!^* _Hookfang called, dropping in and taking out the pirates as promised.

"ARG! This is what I get for leaving my fleet to fend off those blasted Romans. Well, gotta do everything yourself, huh?" He said as he charged me. The same reactions, or instincts I should say, kicked in as a rolled to his left side and he brought his staff straight down where I had been.

Now, normally I would be freaked out and would run, but right now I have this strange feeling in my gut. It was a feeling that I needed to stop this guy, but I did not know why.

_^Guys, we need to stop him. Help me out here.^_ _*I am trying! These ropes must be treated because they burn slowly!^_

I guess now is a good a time as any to learn to fight with double short swords… not everything can come easily (or anything, for that matter).

Meatlug fired a shot at the lunatic's right side, and he turned sideways to avoid it, leaving his back to me. I took the chance to swipe at the exposed area of his calves, in between the straps that held his shin braces on.

"ARGH! You little WHELP! Now you will see what Drago Bludvist is _really _capable of!"

Drago, as I assume his name is, picked his left leg up and kicked straight back, catching me in the chest and sending me backwards. I stumbled and landed on my rear about 10 feet behind him.

He turned around, took two large steps, and brought his staff straight down on me. In those two steps I got to my feet, but was left with no choice but to try to block the blow. I succeeded in blocking the blow (surprisingly), and was left in a gridlock that typically would be decided by strength.

Drago put all of his weight (and his height) into pushing down, and I was forced down onto one knee with my arms still locked above my head.

"You should have taken my deal, pathetic little-" Suddenly, a Nadder spike drove into his wrist from above, and Drago dropped his staff.

*^_That spike was heavily poisoned! It should kill him within 4 hours unless he gets help. It will start to slow him down!^*_

Dragon stumbled back a few steps, bit the top of the spike, and yanked it out of his wrist.

"GAH! You brought help, huh? Well I guess we both get to die now" he said as he reached for his staff.

However, the battle began to work in my favor, as Meatlug blasted his staff and it flew off the side of the boat.

With Drago preoccupied with that, I charges and began hacking at his body. Drago was able to backtrack and avoid my short swords, until a small but powerful purple plasma blast hit his left shoulder.

*_YES! I can at least help a little bit!*_

_^Good shot, Toothless!^_

I looked at the spot that was blasted, and was caught off guard by what I saw there. The large, metal arm brace fell off, along with the ENTIRE arm!

"NO! Not again!" Drago seemed to be distraught at the sight of a stump instead of an arm, and I took another opportunity. Little did I know how much this would change to course of the future.

I charged Drago and stabbed the side of his left knee, getting my sword stuck in the joint. Before I could even process what I was doing, I kicked the sword, twisting it around in his knee.

"ARRRRGH!" Dragon dropped down onto his good knee and used his good (only) arm to support his torso, looking up to see what I was doing. Drago looked up in time to see a short sword stab the fleshy area between his head and shoulder.

I had lunged and put all of my _massive_ weight behind to stab, and imbedded at least a foot of blade into his body. I saw his eyes go slightly wider, then heard him choke out his last words:

"WHAT? NO! Not now! And by child *cough* no less.." He dropped down onto an elbow, and began to cough more violently, and in a few seconds blood appeared in his coughs.

It matched to blood pouring from his knee and neck.

Then it hit me. I just _killed _him. _I_ killed him. I killed _him!_ But but but, how?

^_What just happened?^_

Author's endnote: Yes, this is Drago Bludvist from the second movie. Obviously, _he_ is not going to be a major arc at the end of the story. At this point, he has not yet captured the Alpha, but he does have a small fleet and some dragons. Hiccup did not beat him on his own, but it is a _very _impressive victory.

Two questions to ask yourself as a reader: Where did Hiccup's battle instincts/reactions come from, and where is/what will happen to Drago's fleet?

Also I am in a good mood right now because my Tennessee Vols are up 14-3 on Kentucky as of uploading this. I will feel really silly if the 'Cats come back, but I feel good enough to say this anyways: ROCKY TOP!


	5. The Start of a Decent Relationship

Exodus and Return-us

Chapter 5

_^What just happened?^_ I asked, not certain whether I was more surprised that I killed a man or that I successfully killed a man. Being raised by Vikings, I am not a stranger to death or even the thought of killing people, I just never thought that _I_ would be doing much of it.

Thankfully, before I could further question it, Stormfly spotted something approaching from our front. Unfortunately, she also spotted some_things_ coming from behind us and both our sides.

_*^Those looks like Bog Burglar ships! And some other clan with a spiked-looking dragon for a symbol.^*_

Spiked dragon? That doesn't make sense unless…

_^Is it purple?^_

_*^Yea! Know it?^*_

_^Yes I do, that's the Berserkers. Not good for us. Their fleet is said to be enormous.^_

_*Hey, uh, sorry to interrupt, but I don't think that they will take kindly to a netted NIGHT FURY on deck! GET ME OUT!*_

Oh, yea. Forgot about Toothless…

_^Fine, you big baby.^ _

I got Toothless out of his net, and hid him in the hold underneath the deck. Time was running out, and the ships were getting to close to take off unnoticed, even in darkness. The rest of the dragons flew atop the nearby rock formations and waited to see what would happen.

Which left me to greet a small fleet with nothing but a bunch of discarded weapons and the dead body of a pirate leader. Oh. Probably should do something about that.

I quickly found out that I could not carry the body overboard, so I settled with tossing a spare sail over it for the time being.

The ships began to close in, and I decided that I needed to at least look somewhat formidable when they arrive, which meant finding new swords. My mask and armor were already on, and it didn't take long to find another set of short swords. They even came with a holster that was made for a hefty Viking. Which meant I looped the holster's belt around twice, forming a loose "x" but securing the swords to my sides nonetheless.

I decided that I would just wait for the ships to board, rather than try to go aboard and talk to them in hostile territory. If I'm lucky, I can still salvage this situation and make nice with the Bog Burglars and possibly whoever came with them.

I waited in the captain's chambers for the ships to board, hoping to make a grand entrance (at least better than the time I tried to say something epic and everyone ignored me).

"DRAGO BLUDVIST! WE KNOW YOU ARE THERE! YOU DIDN'T THINK THAT AFTER SLAUGHTERING BATTLESHIPS FROM THREE DIFFERENT TRIBES THAT WE WOULD HUNT YOU DOWN, DID YOU?!" The voice called out was definitely female, but not girly or soft. This voice sounded threatening and in charge. Another voice, one that I shivered as I recognized, joined in.

"YOU DOUBLE CROSSED ME AND YOU'VE GIVEN BESTED SOME OF MY BEST MEN, BUT YOU HAVEN'T DARED TRY TO CROSS BLADES WITH ME YET!" That voice had a sense of tangible, expressed _craziness_ in its voice, as if even the voice was delirious and battle-hungry. Like someone who would throw knives at your head for practice. The voice sounded _deranged_.

"AYE, COME OUT AND FACE US, YOU DEVIL!" I did not recognize the voice, but it sounded non-too pleased.

_^Well, I guess that's my cue. Wish me luck…^_

_*Hiccup if you do something stupid I swear I will tongue-bathe you for a MONTH!*_

Great. Now I gotta be threatening with that image stuck in my head.

I opened the doors slowly, and calmly walked out onto the deck. The other ships must have docked to my ship fast, because there were four people already standing in front of me, with three ships armed to the tooth and ready to attack.

I knew them all from the tribe summits that my father would attend when I was little. I was always stuck with kids my age, which is directly how I knew two of them. One of them was Camikaze, who is the daughter of Big-Boobied Bertha (chief of the all-women tribe the Bog Burglars). She was always really good at sneaking around and stealing things, which apparently is what their whole tribe is about. Their home is in the south part of the Barbaric Archipelago, so dragon raids did not happen very often for them.

She was standing behind and to the right of her mother, a (well-named, I have to admit) woman who stood pretty tall and was armed with a large spear. On her left stood Thuggory, who was the heir to the Bloody Knuckles tribe last time I was with him. The fact that he didn't have anyone with him suggested that he was the Chief now, which makes sense considering he was a few years older than me. Both him and Cami we always pretty good to me, allowing me to tag along like a harmless puppy. It was more than any of my "friends" ever did.

And lastly, on the far left was a man with a crazy look in his eye and a steady grip on both a crossbow and a sword (at his side, thankfully). Growing up, he always would do something crazy with me that usually made me very uncomfortable. And fearful for my life. Dagur the Deranged. He always did seem to like me, but probably because he enjoyed everything he used me for. Last I checked he was the heir to the Berserker's massive fleet (something that scares me), right behind Oswald the Agreeable. Wouldn't surprise me if there was usurpation there, though.

"Well, you certainly aren't Drago." Thuggory said curtly.

"Really? How can you tell?" I said, hoping they take it as sarcasm and not disrespect. I'd hate to be on their bad side, especially since I am surrounded.

_*Hiccup! Try NOT to make them angry!*_ _^Shut up, I am trying to focus here!^_

"Well, for starters…" Bertha started "…you aren't a massive, hulking man with a long staff. Nor do you inspire such fear that you can control dragons."

"Control dragons? What do you mean, like pets?"

_*PETS?! Is that what you think I am!?*_

"Heh. Try weapons, idiot. Drago is supposed to me massing an army to take over the archipelago. He is an extremely dangerous man." Cami spoke up from her mother's shadow, which earned her a harsh look from Bertha.

Wait, this guy was supposed to be dangerous enough to take over all the tribes? And I attacked him with two swords that I _have never used before_? Gods above, I must truly be stupid. Toothless must have found this odd too.

_*That can't be the guy we encountered. _Hiccup_ killed him!*_

_^HEY HEY HEY! Now, that's true, but still hurtful!^_

"…and that's why you're here? To get dragon-weapons?"

"Now THAT'S an idea, but sadly no. Just here to slaughter him, ya know. Expected a real fight, so imagine our surprise to find a toothpick in a mask instead." Dagur spoke, giving me a chill down my spine.

"So this guy was so dangerous that three tribes banded together to take him out?" I asked. They nodded, and Cami shrugged as if to say 'surprisingly, yea.'

"Well I bet you would be really grateful to someone who kills him then, right? Might even offer a reward?" I'll be honest, I was reaching here. But who knows, I might get lucky.

Nope. I got laughed at.

"HA! Like someone as skinny as you would have a chance! He wouldn't even be able to feed you to his dragons!" Dagur stated while chuckling, slightly annoying me.

"But still…?"

"Yes, if you somehow killed him, we would be very appreciative" Thuggory answered, giving me an idea. Behind them stood the sail where I had Drago's body hidden. I just needed to time this right.

"Well, you are in luck. My friends and I took him out not an hour ago…" I said while walking through the middle of them, towards the sail.

"Bullsh-" Dagur started, then stopped once I threw off the sail. They all went silent until Thuggory spoke up, "well Loki's nipples! You and your friends did this, you say?"

I decided that I needed to set the terms of the reward quickly if I wanted to pull this off.

"Yes. All I ask in return is that I and my friends be respected in your villages as allies and traders."

"I am not sure how long you've been out of the cradle, but where we all come from those aren't really very big demands. That's more like something we grant to anyone not our _enemy_." Bertha stated, and led me into the conversation I wanted to happen.

"Well, don't treat me _or _my friends like enemies."

"That's IT? You kill that lunatic and that's all you want?" Cami piped up, apparently tired of being silenced to the back of the group.

"Oh, you haven't met my friends yet. ALRIGHT GUYS, LETS MEET OUR NEW FRIENDS!"

_*Ok, it's official. He's insane. It's over, he is trying to get us all slaughtered. Nice knowing y'all, I guess.*_

_*^Hiccup, what are you doing?^*_

_^Its ok, guys. I am going to get Toothless out first, and once they have warmed up to the idea of a tame Night Fury, I will introduce the rest of you one at a time.^_

_*Just who do you think you calling tame, bitch?*_

_^Ugh. Just don't kill anyone, OK?^_

I didn't get a response. I _really_ hope he doesn't make this backfire…

"Oh, silly me. I forgot, they're in the hold. I'll let them out…"

I walked over to the large hatch, and pulled up on it. It wouldn't budge, but Toothless pushed up on the hatch and peaked over the edge.

"What the-" I heard Thuggory start, but he cut himself off as Toothless emerged.

"Oh. THAT'S your friend…" Cami trailed off, finding herself face to face with a lunatic and a black dragon.

Well, this is _certainly_ not what I thought this day would be like. Instead of taking part in a bloody ship-battle to defeat Drago Bludvist, I am instead looking at a lunatic in a mask standing next to an unbridled dragon. And nothing is happening. Like at all.

As soon as he opened the hatch, I had a bad feeling. And when the dragon emerged, I had my axe _ready_, as in in my hands and twitching.

After a few seconds of nothing happening, the man spoke up.

"Well, here I thought we were going to be _friendly_…" Yea, and then you brought out a DRAGON!

"Are you insane? That's a dragon right there!" Thuggory cried out, and was backed with a grunt of approval from my mom.

"Yea, I noticed. Don't worry, he won't harm anyone unless provoked. And by that, I mean attacking him, me, or _not feeding him enough_." He seemed to cut that last part towards the _dragon_, and the dragon actually cut his eyes back at the guy and then grumbled. Not growled, literally grumbled. It was such an outrageous scene that I chuckled very softly. This guy must have had super-hearing, because he caught me.

"Well, nice to see that someone is at least warming up to the idea of a friendly dragon!" Although his tone dripped with sarcasm, I caught a glare from my mother and turned red.

"Well, would you like me to introduce you to him, Cami?" He knows my name. HOW does he know my name?

"How do you know my name?" He stiffened slightly, but his infernal mask blocked any chance of catching discomfort on his face.

"I am a very observant person. Now, I can guarantee that no harm will come to you if you put down your axe and walk here slowly." Uh, NO. Not happening.

Guess what? It happened! My mother exchanged looks with Thug and Dagur, and apparently it was silently decreed that I would test this out. Great.

I put my axe down, and took a few steps towards the pair. I slowly approached the dragon, with my eyes locked on his. His eyes didn't _look_ evil, but then again that could just be a trick. Still, those green eyes were huge! I suddenly realized that I was within arm's reach, and stopped my approach.

"Uh, ok. I'm here. Now what?" I know that I must have sounded freaked out. That would not begin to describe it.

"Just put your hand out and gentle scratch the scales behind his ears. He loves that." As if to prove a point (or maybe he really did love that), the dragon tilted his head and slightly moved his ear-flap-thingy. I took a look back at my mother then went for it.

When I did not get my hand bitten off, I slightly opened my eyes. The dragon rumbled underneath me, and tilted his head to help me scratch.

"Beard of Thor! She's alive!" I heard Thuggory say.

"Wait a minute! I was supposed to DIE?!" And here I thought that Thug was a nice guy.

"If it helps, you are the second person _ever_ to touch a Night Fury." The stranger said. I was distracted by his eyes (which seemed pretty familiar to me for some reason) until I fully processed that last part. Apparently, my mother did the same thing, because she said the same thing as me.

"That's a NIGHT FURY?"

"Uh, yea. What did you think _he_ was?"

"Just some black dragon I guess. So is this all it took to kill Drago, a Night Fury?"

"No, I have some more 'friends.' Would you like to meet them?"

After about ten minutes, we had been introduced to a few more dragons, and one dragon seemed to like me. The Monstrous Nightmare really took to me, because it stuck as close to me as possible. And I kinda liked having a dragon on my side…

The stranger, who had yet to give his name, was giving a small speech about how dragons really were. He had said something about dragons being forced to fight, and that they could be gentle and bonded with riders. They weren't weapons, they were companions and friends. I was beginning to believe him then, but the others needed more convincing, which led him into talking about benefits of having dragons.

"…Nadders' fires burn hotter than any other, and could be used to make blacksmithing much easier. Not to mention that they, in addition to Nightmares, have strong legs and wings and can be used for heavy lifting. Aside from the obvious battle options, Gronkles eat _rocks. _ Everyone has plenty of rocks, so they don't require livestock. Hideous Zipplebacks' gas could be stored and used over the winter to help heat a home or hall…"

During this part, he finally started to get a few nods from my mom and Thug, but Dagur didn't seem to like the idea of adopting a peaceful solution…

After his little speech was done, the group got together and talked it over without me. I couldn't get a read on who took what side, but Dagur seemed to become animated a few times. After about five minutes, Dagur just walked off and left, climbing aboard his ship and shouting orders to head home.

"Well, we have decided to accept dragons _if_ you will train our people. I believe my daughter here already has one picked out, so there's one, I guess."

I wasn't entirely sure what was going on. My mother _did_ catch me bonding with that dragon, though.

"And how would I survive? I can't just stop my life to help you. I have a lot of mouths to feed here. Especially a big, black one…" He received a good whack on the head with the Night Fury's tail fin, and the dragon growled at him. And then, he pauses just slightly while looking at the dragon as if it could understand what he wanted it to know.

"Well, what do you suggest?" I recognized that tone in Thug's voice. He was tired of working out details and was ready to make a deal… which meant that if this dragon rider drove his bargain now, he would make out big. He must have picked up on this, because that is what he did.

"I suggest that in return I am allowed access to a black smith stall and help transporting any goods I purchase, earn, or make to my home. In addition, I also want to be fed during the times I spend with each of your tribes, and for this winter at least a place to stay."

My mother and Thug exchanged glances, but the man continued.

"If it helps, I would prefer to stay with the Bloody Knuckles over the winter, seeing as staying on a women-only island probably wouldn't go over too well. I can spend time with the Bogs until the winter starts to set, then I can spend the winter helping the Knuckles. Does that work?"

Oh, come on! There isn't anything wrong with this! It's just helping him carry his stuff and feeding him!

Finally, my mother said something.

"Alright. It's a deal."

As they went to shake hands, Thuggory reached out to shake his hand first.

"Say, now, what did you say your name was?"

If the man was caught off guard, he hid it extremely well.

"Me? Oh, I go by the title 'Rider,' but I suppose I can trust you with my name, given you swear on your honor to keep it secret."

What? Is this guy hunted by a tribe or something? Is he exiled? An outcast?

"On my life, never!" Thuggory swore quickly.

"Agreed, on my tribe's honor." My mom said. I find it funny that our tribe specializes in theft but value honor. Apparently, so did the 'Rider.'

"Huh. Honorable thieves, whoda thunk?"

Before my mother could smack him for insulting him (even though he was being sarcastic, he needs to learn when not to insult someone), he removed his helmet, and all three of us were stunned at who was standing before us.

"I suspect you know my name, huh?"

I couldn't contain my outburst:

"HICCUP HADDOCK?!"

"Actually, I think it's just Hiccup now…"

Author's Note: Alright, one of my shorter chapters, (actually my shortest), but this was something that I didn't want to skip over. I plan on using small time jumps to show how things have progressed and leave the minute details to the reader's imagination, but pivotal moments like this deserve a chapter.

I haven't read the books, so Thug is just what I have gathered from Wikipedia and other fics (Especially the 'Becoming' series). I made him a young chief of a tribe just so Hiccup would have a connection outside of Cami.

I find it funny that I didn't think I would be able to update this very often, yet this is the fifth chapter and it hasn't been a week. I am almost at the 20,000 mark.


	6. A Happy Reunion (not at all)

Exodus and Return-us

Chapter 6

In the two weeks that both Hiccup and my Bloody Knuckles tribe had stayed on Bog, things had gone amazingly well. There hadn't been any accidents between the dragons and the few people who volunteered to get dragons, so the peoples' trust was steadily building. However, it was because there were so few volunteers that _I_ got roped into training one. I mean, I get that the leader of a tribe should be an example, but I brought plenty of other examples to choose from. But no, Hiccup said that it needed to be me. He even said that he had a perfect dragon for me…like _that_ made me any more comfortable.

Upon walking over to what the Bogs call an 'arena,' I realized what Hiccup meant. Next to Hiccup was a dragon that looked thickly armored and built for cracking skulls. He was brilliantly colored, but highlighted in red and green scales on the sides. The dragon had massive legs and just looked mean. I had no clue what dragon this was. Hiccup must have anticipated this.

"A Rumblehorn. Pretty rare, but as soon as I saw it I thought 'if ever there was a dragon for a meathead like Thug, _that_ would be it!'"

The Rumblehorn grumbled a little, but Hiccup paused slightly and looked at it and it fell back in line perfectly. _Odin's beard, he can control them with a look?_

"So, uh, Hiccup ole buddy ole pal…what now?" I still have to deny the fear that everyone claims was in my voice when I said that.

"Walk forward until you are within reach. Then hold your hand out for him to accept. From there, everything progresses naturally."

"Everything progresses naturally? Last time I heard that, it was about women, and if this scar on my butt is anything to go by, that was complete crap."

"Ugh. Thug, I didn't need that image."

"Well, you should hear the full story. Teeth marks on your cheeks hurt!"

"Thug! You're making the dragons squeamish!"

"Alright, fine."

I slowly approached the dragon, because even though Hiccup was right there, the thing still looked mean. I reached out my hand, and waited. And then I realized that I shut my eyes (really tightly) and slightly braced to have my hand taken from me.

Instead, I was greeted with the gentle nudge of a powerful horn. I opened my eyes, and found the dragon had done just as Hiccup predicted for all the other dragons. And now that I could look at it, it did not look as mean. It may take getting used to, but I think this dragon may be just as fun as Toothless. Speaking of, I need to name this big guy. And it can't be something week like 'Toothless.'

"Well, looks like I need to give you a name. I would ask Hiccup for advice, but he might just name you 'Horn' or 'Mean' given his awful naming talents."

"Hey! I wouldn't say that?"

"Why not? You _are_ the guy who came up with 'Toothless' for a Night Fury! You could have named the guy anything else and it would be bette-" before I could finish, a plasma bolt exploded right next to my right leg, and I _jumped_ probably four feet in the air. Apparently Toothless didn't like me making fun of him behind his back.

"I would be careful. Dragon's take names very seriously, and don't take kindly to names they enjoy."

I tried to whisper my reply, but I must have failed pretty badly, having just been scared within an inch of my life.

"Why does he prefer that name so much?"

Before Hiccup could answer, Cami called out from just entering the arena.

"BECAUSE HE IS KINDA FOND OF THE GUY WHO GAVE HIM THE NAME!"

As if to make a point, Toothless appeared behind Cami, and allowed Cami to give him a good scratch behind the ear. Last time I tried that, I was greeted with teeth and snarling…

"So, thug, what this big guy's name gonna be?"

"Oh, easy. Just look at him. He's a Skullcrusher!"

My dragon perked up and stood taller, as if showing off his new name to all who would see.

Yup, that dragon definitely was a good pick for me.

SMALL SCENE BREAK

In return for me getting a dragon, everyone pitched in the give Hiccup fighting lessons after learning that he had no formal training. No one is really certain how he killed Drago, but no one will question that the body we burned is dead.

However, many looked at Hiccup crazily when he suggested that he create his own short swords before he did any dueling. I thought that this was an attempt to stall, after already spending a week working on everything but his training (and seriously, the guy has been _busy_), but instead I learned that Hiccup had a few more tricks up his sleeve. Seeing as I was a smith's apprentice growing up, just to bulk up even more, I knew enough to assist Hiccup in whatever metalwork he was going to do. There were two things that I did not expect when I walked into the smith's shop.

The first was the plans to the weapons that Hiccup was building. I guess, despite his workload all week, he had time to think, because what he was crafting was something brilliant yet intricate. The first picture he had drawn was of a simple bo-staff. Nothing out of the ordinary, expect for all of the intricate pieces inside of the staff. The last two inches of both ends could be shifted into knife-blades mid-battle, and then retracted back inside the staff. The staff could also be split at the middle to become duel rods, but that is where it got really interesting.

I read on to the next page, filled with more delicate pieces than I knew what to do with, and slowly pieced together the purpose. Like the knife tips, the duel rods could be shifted into _short swords_ mid-battle as well. I didn't believe it, until I saw the plans for the blade itself. Apparently, it was made out of folds of sharp blade-steel, and when the rods was shifted, this blades spring out and interlock, creating the sword.

Aside from that, there were a few more papers scattered about. One for a wrist bracer entitled "extra comfy surprise blade V3" that had a wrist and forearm guard that apparently carried a spring-enable blade beneath it, so the wearer could twist a certain way and have an eight inch knife pop out.

I got to a page entitled "Gronkle Iron," but Hiccup came over and snatched that one away, storing it in his pocket.

"Can't have anyone reading that. That one is a secret."

"THAT'S a secret? You are building a three-in-one bo-staff and a wrist blade and you want to keep that a secret?!"

"Well, it is the most important component. See that sword in the corner there? Try it out."

In the corner, almost hidden away from view, was a plain broadsword with a slightly brighter shine than normal. I grabbed it, and it almost flew out of my grasp!

"What in Thor's beard is this? It's way too light, Hiccup! It'll never hold."

"Well, let's see about that…" Hiccup grabbed one of the plain swords from the pile, and swung it at me. I went to block, but also dodged out of the way, leaving my sword to absorb any blow Hiccup can deliver. When I looked up, the sword I was holding had imbedded halfway into Hiccup's sword. And I only blocked; if I had swung back, I could have _cut through a sword_!

"Loki's Horns!...Gronkle Iron, you say?"

"Yes. I already used it for my staff here. I just need to finish the details on it. Even though this is the first version, I think it should look good too. I just gotta get the runes on the last sword and then let this out to cool…"

"You already finished the staff? Normally it would take a week's work for something that delicate!"

"Yea, but I have portable furnaces, so that helps…"

"Portable furnaces?" As if to answer my question, a Nadder and a Gronkle appeared out of thin air. Apparently the Nadder enjoyed the ceiling rafters, because it popped its head down, squawked, then returned. The Gronkle had just been sleeping behind a barrel, and woke up to show itself. It went right back to sleep.

"What, no Night Fury?"

"Nah, he has some…interesting effects on the metal he works. Not yet something I want to explore…"

"…ok? Any other brilliant inventions you plan on building in the _next_ three seconds?"

"Nah. While this cools, I need to go on a, uh, supply run with my dragons." If ever someone was trying to hide something, it was Hiccup. Without his mask, he couldn't lie to save his life.

"THAT is complete and udder bull! What are you really doing?"

"All I can say is that I am making a run to get supplies for my home."

"Home? You mean the man/dragon cave? That thing is SWEET I tell you! It just needs a little work and we can have that thing looking like a fortress!"

"Yes, that's the plan. Open to all dragon riders, but still defendable. It just needs some work inside to make it more…accessible."

"…but you fly in…?"

"Yea. I'm heading out; make sure no one tries to touch Bo."

"Who?"

"Bo. The Staff. Get it?"

Get what? He said 'Bo' and the staff…

"Oh. Gotcha, man."

SMALL SCENE BREAK/POV BREAK

When Hiccup returned that night, he never would tell us what he did. Just that it was a 'surprise.'

It didn't matter, after what happened while he was gone, he had plenty of other things to tell us.

Hiccup had left an hour after noon, and thirty minutes after that we spotted ships on the horizon. I heard the lookout call "HAIRY HOOLIGANS ON THE HORIZON!" and knew that something interesting would happen. By the time I found my mother, she had already ordered the riders that we had to lead the dragons into the wilderness for the time being. Stoic wasn't exactly someone known for his open-mindedness towards dragons, though I have heard that his late wife was.

I went to go get my Hookfang (which, by the way, Hiccup said he already had a name so I couldn't name him. THAT was some BS right there…) but my mother stopped me.

"Cami, we have allies coming to visit. You need to be there."

"Aww fine. It something happens though, I won't be easy to stop. Just a warning…"

There were only two Berk ships, which was fortunate because most of the docks were occupied with the Bloody Knuckles ships.

Thuggory came out from around a corner and hailed my mother. Apparently, he had actually _thought_ and a big question came to mind.

"Bertha, what are the odds that this is about Hiccup?"

"I would say pretty good, Thuggory."

Oh. Yea. He did say something about not being 'Haddock' anymore, and said that he had left home, but had been unusually guarded aside from that.

"I say we keep our word. So far Hiccup has been nothing but helpful, and it would only be right to hide him."

"Who?" My mother asked. _Oh, come on mom. He JUST said that he was talking about Hiccup._

"Hiccup."

"Who's that?" Oh. I see what she is doing…

"Partially ginger, yae high, skinny as a toothpick. Followed around by a Night Fury. Ring any bells?"

"No, haven't seen him since clan gathering. We did have a traveler who tamed dragons a little while ago."

It dawned on Thug, because his face was priceless.  
>"OH. I see. Well done, Bertha."<p>

Within 10 minutes, the ships had docked, and the men began to jump onto the docks. My mother and Thug went down to greet Stoic, but Stoic called out first.

"AH! BERTHA _AND_ THUG? I really hope I didn't interrupt the Archipelago's strangest affair!" Oh good heavens, I did NOT need that image in my head. That's just…revolting.

"Good heavens, no, Stoic. Thuggory is here celebrating the death of Drago Bludvist after our fleets had him cornered."

"DRAGO BLUDVIST? That madman? Well, that sounds like a worthy topic to drink to! Unfortunately, we didn't risk the dragon-infested waters around Berk for a social visit. I believe that we need to talk in the Hall. I would prefer it only be the leaders of the tribes."

"That bad, Stoic? Alright, Cami, go get my two generals and round up Thug's people too."

Ugh. Is that all I get to do nowadays?

After I rounded everyone up and led them to the hall, I took a seat at the end of the table my mother was seated at. It secluded me enough for me not to interfere, but I could still say something if I _really_ needed to.

"Alright Stoic, would you like to speak, or do you want to hear of Drago's death?"

"Please, lead with the good news, Bertha."

My mother and Thuggory proceeded to tell Stoic the story of Drago's death, starting with the mysterious character in a mask that killed Drago. Then, they told him of how he could tame dragons, and rode a Night Fury. Stoic looked incredulous, but did not interrupt the tale. Finally, they told Stoic that the man's price was only that they would trade, but that was too much for Dagur who refused. "Ah, a wise yet dishonorable decision from a man as crazy and dishonorable as they come" Stoic said here. They did not give any clues of the man's identity other than his title, 'The Rider,' and that he was extremely quick and dangerous with a blade. I guess they decided that it would be best to bolster Hiccup's reputation; I wasn't complaining.

"So this man claims he can control the dragons and he rides a Night Fury? That is something that I will need to see to believe."

"Well, if he doesn't skip town at the sight of even more tribes here, you might meet him. He is supposed to stop by tonight. Now, Stoic, what is the reason for this visit?" Ah, yes, _finally_.

"It's about Hiccu'. I returned home from a nest hunt to find that Hiccup was an esteemed member of dragon training, and even dropped a Nadder blindfolded and unarmed!"

"Really? _Your_ Hiccup?" My mom answered, playing along. That's one thing we Bogs do right: lying to your face.

"Yes. So imagine my surprise when I find a letter from Hiccu' explaining his self-exile…"

This time it was Thug that responded.

"He did what now?!"

"Yea, he wrote that he believed he never truly belonged, and that he should have left a long time ago. He seemed to believe that it was best for everyone that he leave, and that he wouldn't be missed or mourned. He even renounced his rights as Berk's heir."

"Good heavens, Stoic! How could he ever be led to think this?"

"…I don't really know. He was fine before I left, and seemed the same the night I came back. Then he just left…"

I spotted two people in the back who both seemed to either disagree or know something. One I recognized as Gobber and the other was the girl that Hiccup always had a crush on. And she looked really suspicious right now.

Gobber spoke up next.

"I mean, sure the village always kinda detested havin' tha lad destroy everything with his failed inventions, and _sure_ the other teens did their best to make him miserable, but I don't know what broke the camel's back…" Gobber seemed to be hiding something, and he did a great job of doing so. But I am much better at that game, so I will definitely be talking with him later. Right after I grill that blonde girl…

"Self-exile, though? Doesn't that mean that he can come back whenever he wants?" Thug seemed to be on the right track. We are gonna have a lot of questions for the idiot, but we need as much information as possible beforehand.

"Yes. The fact that he hasn't returned means that this is not some sort of joke, but it means that he could be stranded or drowned already."

"Hah, taken by dragons more likely… oh, sorry. Not helping, am I?"

"Stoic, what would you have us do?" My mom seems to be ready to end this talk, probably concerned that Hiccup will come back here before this is over…

"If cross him, help him out and try to send him back to us. I don't know what he is thinking, but if you help him I will repay you myself."

"What, your village won't pitch in to help you out?" I asked, treading into dangerous territory. I will probably get a few lectures from my mother if I am lucky, but this should help us find out what the village thinks of Hiccup.

"…as it stands, everyone before you are the only ones willing to help him. Most of the village either think that he should provide for himself, have taken his exile seriously, or are glad that he is gone."

Well, isn't _that _interesting…

After that, my mother and Stoic winded down the talk by negating to length of the Hooligan's stay to overnight, and the meeting was adjourned. By the time we were out, it was dark outside. Thug came over to me and whispered that he was going to find and warn Hiccup, and that he would have Hiccup make an appearance on Toothless next to the large brazier.

I followed Thug to the smith's stall, where we found Gobber looking over a bo-staff. I looked at Thug, and he mouthed the words 'play along' to me. Which means that staff probably belongs to Hiccup…

"Gobber, I see you found the stall!"

"Who made this staff?!" Gobber demanded, and Thug was taken slightly aback.

"That? Oh, uh, that's being crafted by the Rider who comes into town. He prefers we keep it here so as to avoid damaging it on his travels."

"Rider, eh? Let me guess, he is about as tall as my left nipple (not the right one, mind you lad) and as skinny the staff? And this mask, would it happen to match light leather armor crafted for speed over defense?" See, this is what happens when I let Thug lead. Gobber has practically figured it out in three seconds…

"Uh, no. Not at all, he is a bear of a man…"

"Yer lyin' through yer teeth, boy. Its fine, I already know from the runes on this staff. The words are in Hiccup's handwriting…"

If this wasn't such a bad situation, I would be on the floor laughing at Thug's black stare until I cried. As it is, I am pretty sure that I have the same look.

"Its fine, I am not gonna tell anyone. Or try to stop the lad. As long as he is alive, then he is probably having a better time than he used to on Berk. I couldn't ever figure out why he didn't like the fame he got from training, but this whole crazy 'dragon rider' thing sounds just like something he would do."

"Well, Gobber, it sounds like you have me figured out. We can hug it out later, but would you quit crying on my staff? I need to go make an entrance!"

"What? Who's cryin'? You would be lucky to be as strong as I am, ya lunatic!"

"Good to see you again too, now I gotta go."

As Hiccup ran off, I went the other way. I still have one more person to talk to before 'The Rider' shows up, and right now is the only time to get her alone…

SCENE BREAK/POV BREAK

_*Ok, so you are going to try to get on their bad side, show off your ferocious dragon, then fly off, correct?* _

_^Yea, that's it. Fly in by the torches, insult them a little, and then fly off on a Night Fury. Thug said they would be gone tomorrow.^_

Good. I don't like the idea of Hiccup being near his old tribe very much anyways…

_*Alright, now's the time. Ready to dive?*_

_^Yea, let's do this.^_

As I began my drive, I started my whistle. Most people so far have thought that I do a scream or death wail, but it's a whistle that chills the bones of men. Pretty impressive for something Night Fury's use while young to scare other hatchlings.

I let my whistle mount, and pulled up to do a hard landing to the side of the largest brazier. Bertha and Thuggory (and Cami, I guess) had done their job and had escorted the Hooligans to right in front of it, then made themselves scarce. I heard a few dozen people scream "NIGHT FURY" and saw everyone around me flinch. Ah, doesn't that just feel _great_!

"Well, look who we have here. The Hairy Hooligans. Boy, have I heard stories of your cruelty…" Hiccup started. I put on a mean glare, and stood up, making Hiccup seem a bazillion times more threatening and powerful that usual. Hiccup held his staff out to the side, with the metal glowing in the firelight, to help accent this.

"It's not wise to threaten me. But I must say, a dragon-lover calling _me_ cruel? That's a new one!" THAT must be Hiccup's father. A big bear of a man who really rubs you the wrong way. Yup, that's him..

"Oh please, that's not what my sources say…"

_*Where are you going with this?*_

_^Just trust me, I am gonna rub some salt in a wound…^_

_*That sounds like a great way to be impaled with a WAR HAMMER!*_

"Your 'sources?' What did they say, that we swat dragons like flies?"

_*Last time I checked, we devastated your old village in the raids… just saying.* _

"No, just stories of cruelty and a lack of honor. You know, alienation of an heir to the point of renouncing ties? That's pretty bad if you ask me…"

"WHAT? HOW DARE YOU OPEN YOUR MOUTH! WHO TOLD YOU THESE LIES?!"

"I got it straight from the horse's mouth…ran into a boy named Hiccup. Poor lad, didn't even have a last name anymore. Told me a pretty awful story about what happened to him…"

_*I think that Gobber just cringed a little. Didn't you write him his own letter?*_

_^And I talked to him a few minutes ago…^_

_*YOU DID WHAT NOW?*_

Stoic seemed stunned by the words, and Hiccup took the opportunity to press on.

"What type of monster makes someone feel hated in his own home? Like how bad does a village have to be before the _heir_ hates his life because of the people there?"

That one seemed to strike a chord in both Stoic and the blonde girl. Wait a second, is _that _Astrid? The one Hiccup wouldn't shut up about?

_*Hey, is that the girl you're never gonna get it on with?*_

_^…maybe…^_

_*Really? That's all? I was expecting someone built like Bertha…*_

_^Big-Boobied Bertha?^_

_*Yea. Isn't that what you Vikings like?*_

_^I am not even going to dignify that with an answer…^_

"If you know where my son is, then you would be wise to tell me where he is, Loki-spawn." Ooh, a threat from Stoic that was barely louder than a whisper. Hiccup says that's when you know he is furious, when he gets quiet. I guess we accomplished our goal.

POV BREAK (SAME SCENE, SAME SPOT, JUST POV)

"I don't know about your son, but Hiccup is under my protection. Don't go near him." Astrid wasn't sure how to take that. It was obvious that this guy knew that Hiccup renounced himself, and this guy knew where he was, but he seemed to be protecting Hiccup from _us._ Which I guess is fair for me, but even Gobber?

Whoever this guy is, he isn't even close to Hiccup. The confidence this guy is displaying alone puts him in different leagues. Then there is the overall threatening tone of this conversation, and the Night Fury beneath him. THAT part is frightening.

"If you do, I will make sure you regret it." That was the last thing he said, before the dragon took off, and disappeared into the darkness, taking any hope of reconciling with Hiccup and undoing my actions with him…

Author's Note: As always, leave a review! I am always checking them.

Tell me your thoughts on the chapter and the new POV BREAKS I put in. Are they distracting, helpful, annoying...?

Ever since last chapter I had to change my POV breaks because they didn't transfer over from Word to FF, so if this new system works I will stick with it. If you dont like it tell me, and I will try something new.


	7. Flashback: Berk

Exodus and Return-us

Chapter 7

Stoick's POV

For what felt like the first time in forever, I woke up without a blasted headache. After the party the night before last, I let everyone take a day off (not something to be taken lightly around here) mainly to get rid of all the noise. Noise was my enemy all day yesterday, having drank so much mead.

_I just can't believe it though! Hiccup leading his class? What are the odds of that?_ I thought as I grabbed a small loaf of bread for breakfast. _Now this is how good days should be started. No hangover, great news, and breakfast to munch on-wait a minute; why is there a note posted to the inside of the door?_

I walked over to the note, still chewing on the last of my breakfast. It was addressed to me, and apparently it was from Hiccup.

After finishing the note, I wasn't sure what to think. Surely Hiccup would not run away _now_. He is doing so well, practically a celebrity if Gobber is anything to go by. Talking about being a strain on the village, but he's never even once actually been sorry for all of those inventions. And part about making Snotlout the heir? That's an absolutely dreadful idea. That would burn this village down quicker than the dragons. _No, something is off here. He isn't telling the whole story…HA HA HA, I bet this is some sort of juvenile prank. He probably just wants to make a grand entrance at the Choosing tonight! Boy is just like his mother with that little "dramatic flair" he always works towards._

Just then, there was a knock on the door. I opened it to find Gobber looking distraught. _That little devil, pulled Gobber into this too. _ I decided I would play along; no harm really comes from messing with Gobber (except that day the twins got a hold of his prosthetics…).

"STOIC! We have a problem!"

"What is it, Gobber? Have you seen Hiccup this morning?" _Oh, this has been long overdue since he fought a raid in his undies. There are still people around town who shiver when they see Gobber._

"Tha's what I came to tell you! Hiccup's gone!"

"He's WHAT? Step inside, we need to talk…"

Gobber stepped in through the door, and I shut it behind him.

"Now Gobber, I don't want any rumors flying around. What happened?"

"He left me a note sayin' he up and left! He's out there somewhere alone right now Stoic! We gotta go get him!"

To really sell it, I put on a "shocked with a good dose of overwhelmed" look on my face and backed up a few paces, hands fumbling around until they grasped a chair.

"…m-my son is gone?" I stood there, looking lost, before I bent over and pushed my head into my hands (against the chair-back) to give myself a look of encompassing grief. I am not really sure why he bought it…

"What are ye' standing there for, Stoic? WE. NEED. TO. GET. HIM. BACK. He can't have gone too far away, even _with_ a day's head star-" Gobber trailed off as I started to laugh, at first quietly but growing steadily in volume.

"What in the bloody Hel is wrong with you, Stoic?!"

"You didn't get it? It's a prank, Gobber! Hiccup will be back tonight to make a grand entrance to his fight! There's nothing to worry about…" I thought the situation was quite funny, but Gobber was not put to ease. [A.N.: I am using the American version of "quite" which means a lot, not the British version which means somewhat. Yes, there are different versions.]

"Stoic', I don't think that he would do something like _this_ just fer a prank."

"It will be fine, Gobber. It's not like Hiccup would actually run away. All of Midgard knows he wouldn't last a week."

Gobber didn't seem to buy it, but I insisted that we let Hiccup think he fooled us.

"If he isn't back, we will just go get him from the woods. The lad doesn't have anywhere to go anyhow."

SCENE BREAK (SAME POV)

I sat at the heart in my home, deep in thought. Gobber was right, Hiccup wasn't kidding with those letters, or he was playing a very cruel trick. But this being the little boy that took after Valka in every way possible, I doubt he would ever play a trick like this.

I had sent Gobber out to organize a small search party and lead them into the forest. I gave him instructions to only take those who can be trusted to keep their mouths shut until I found a good time to announce the news, should Hiccup not be found.

When Hiccup hadn't shown at his final training session, the Choosing day no less, I began to realize my mistake. That letter could have been over a day old, and I convinced Gobber to wait another half day, so it was unlikely that we would be able to catch Hiccup. That's why I hadn't hurried; it would have been pointless. Now I just wanted answers, and I knew where to start.

I heard a curt three knocks on my door, and got up check it. Gobber stood there, and gave me a status report in a somewhat hushed voice. The sun had just set, and everything seemed to feel drab in the dusky light. _Absolutely perfect for the mood. Odin never was one to let suffering go unnoticed…_

"I gathered a small party, abou' ten men, put Spitelout in charge. They've started combing the woods…. Can I come in? We need to talk."

I silently nodded and moved aside. Before I closed the door, I saw Snotlout walking past the house, looking as clueless as ever. I yelled at him to fetch Astrid, and only Astrid. He seemed happy enough to do it.

I closed the door and took my seat back near the hearth. Gobber waited a few seconds before speaking, and never took a seat.

"Alright, Stoic. What's this about?"

I stood there, gaze fixed on the fire for a long pause, until I looked up to meet Gobber's eyes.

"I haven't the slightest clue, Gobber."

(Switch to Astrid POV)

_Does he think that he is too good to show up to the Choosing?_ I thought angrily as a hurled my axe at a nearby tree. I chose take out my frustration near the Chief's house, on the chance that I caught Hiccup come by. And I was prepared to ring his neck.

Everything he has done recently has made things worse for me. When he wasn't doing decently in training, everyone took him for what he was worth: nothing. Now, every just overlooks the glaringly obvious fact that he ISN'T actually fighting and yet he keeps winning. It's not even that he has a new form, or a specific style, it's that he apparently doesn't need to fight to win. I don't know how _that _works, but if I ever get the opportunity to expose him, I will. I have to take every chance I can to open people's eyes to the fact that Hiccup Haddock is a fake.

I heard the door to Hiccup's house open, and I snuck around to investigate. I doubt that I would be able to catch Hiccup before anyone spotted him if he was standing on his front porch, but I was ready to try nonetheless. Instead, I caught Stoic telling Snotlout to come fine me.

_Me? What is this about?... Could Hiccup have forfeited, meaning I automatically win training? Or did he try to pin something on me?! _That last thought stuck in my mind. I never really knew Hiccup, but he didn't seem like the malicious type. Then again, he didn't seem like the type to lead dragon training…

I snuck around behind the home of the Chief, and put my ear to the wall. I caught the middle of a conversation, and it appeared to be between the Chief and Gobber.

"…but why leave Gobber? What sort of Viking would abandon his post, especially in a good time for himself?"

"…I dunno. But it doesn't sound like _he_ was having a good time, from the looks of it…"

"What more could be asked for? Head of class, admiration of his peers (not to mention his "new fans" as you put it)? He was on a massive climb up, yet he just _exiles_ himself? There has to be more to this…"

_So Hiccup left? For where? When? Why? Is he so much of a coward that he fled from a challenge?_ It never registered that he always had a crush on me, and that I wasn't the least bit kind these last few days.

"I agree there, Stoic. I don't think that we have the whole picture. If the boy was miserable, then we need to find out why and fer how long before we can convince him to come back."

"_Convince_ him? What for? We find him and drag him back!"

"If he left once, then he is likely to feel a little hostile. This is Hiccup we are talking about; he wouldn't just snap for no reason."  
>"Then why do you suppose he did 'snap'?"<p>

_Because he wasn't good enough. Obviously._

"Well, I suspec' that we don't know everything, but it's not been too much a secret that he has been miserable fer years. I mean, his father is the model for practically every Viking, and he isn't big enough to carry your dinner plate!"

"Every Viking has a place, no matter the size, Gobber. That shouldn't have mattered."

"But it _did_. He never was one for fitting in. All those inventions that just backfired, did ya think they were disasters on purpose? He was trying to be different but help in his own way."

"…and we just rejected it…but we didn't have a choice. They _always_ caused more pain then good."

"Always? The boy has helped me renovate half me shop! That fancy spout on yer mead there? The one that lets you control the flow rate and extends? That would be Hiccup!"

"Okay, he improved the mead dispensers. Aside from appeasing thirsty Vikings, what have his inventions done for this village?"

"That's not the point! It's the fact that he has always been trying to help, and all it's ever done is cause him grief."

"Is that all, though? Unsuccessful efforts? There are good men here who haven't landed a lady for even an hour despite years of trying, yet they show up for duty every morning."

"Stoic, I don't think Hiccup's type of lady could be won over by drunken pick-up lines. Astrid would break him in half backwards. She probably broke his heart with all that I've heard has been going on lately…"

_What, are they blaming _me_ for his disappearance?! Over my dead body!_

While trying to process what I had heard, I failed to realize that Gobber's voice had slowly grown louder until he threw the backdoor open and hooked me by my shirt.

"An' I suspect that we can learn a good deal more here. Now Astrid, sit."

I did as I was told, seeing as I was just caught eavesdropping on the Chief.

"Now Astrid, why don't you tell me and Stoic what's been going on with you and Hiccup recently. I suspec' that you know that he has exiled himself, so I expect your full cooperation here…"

This was the only chance I would have to uncover what Hiccup has been hiding, even if I only plant a small seed of doubt.

"It's been what he's been doing in the ring that's causing tension, sir. He's not fighting the dragons, but he wins the fights anyways. Somehow he is _cheating_ against them! I finally confronted him in the woods, but I couldn't get a straight answer out of him. I let him know _exactly_ what I thought of his cheating and let him know what he was for it..." as I said this, Gobber arched an eyebrow, as if to ask why I would be so bold in front of the Chief, but he let me continue. "He challenged me to a one on one against a Nadder, and he stopped it from killing me. But instead of helping me get free of the Nadder spikes that pinned me, he just made some dramatic statement and walked off…"

"What did he say, Astrid?" Gobber asked in a manner that let me know that it was obviously important.

"Something about him being done chasing me. I don't really know what that signified. But when he said it, there was a fire in his eyes that I've never seen in _anyone_. Like something had snapped, and he was resolved to do something drastic-…" I trailed off, the significance of what I was saying having just hit me. _I_ was his breaking point. _I _pushed him over the edge.

Now, Stoic began to speak, and he must have been furious because his voice was barely above a whisper.

"Are you saying that you drove him off?"

I didn't answer, and Gobber kept any comments to himself, though he looked prepared to intervene. I was freaking _terrified. _I had only heard legends of what happens when the Chief gets angry, and I can only assume that it is much worse that being fed to a dragon's nest while butt naked and unarmed (that is still the worst fear I have, but Stoic was creeping up on that title).

Suddenly, Stoic snapped. His war hammer flew down, and split the table (fortunately for me) between us clear in half with a terrifying mix of a thud and a crack.

"YOU RAN OFF MY SON?! THE HEIR TO YOUR TRIBE! _YOU_ MADE HIM RENOUNCE HIS BIRTHPLACE?!"

"Stoic, calm down! There's a lot more here than meets the eye, it's definitely not just her fault. You need to calm down before people think that you are murdering someone in here… you aren't _planning_ on murdering someone, are you?"

Odin's ghost, if ever there was a question that chilled me to the bone, it was that one. Worse still was his answer. While Stoic did calm back down, there was no lack of disgust in his eyes as he spat out his reply.

"Not here at least…"

Then a though hit me. It was risky to say aloud, because it would draw more attention to me. However, it had the possibility of changing the subject, and for my sake that needed to happen.

"So, what do we do about this?"

Silence. Stoic looked stumped, and Gobber seemed to be pondering something.

"Astrid" Gobber started, "I don' have a clue."

(Return to present; Cami POV)

"Are you sure you can't come?" I asked Thug. I mean, after the confrontation with Hiccup's old tribe, there's no telling what Hiccup is gonna be like. He's gonna need more than one friend if something in him snapped again. Besides, Hookfang and I are gonna have to follow Thug's dragon anyways.

"It will look odd if we both disappeared for the night, even if we do tell your mother our intentions. Besides, as a Chief I need to be there to see the Hooligans off in the morning. Hiccup said that Skullcrusher's breed have good tracking abilities, so it won't be hard to follow him. He is probably back at his island anyways."

"Fine. But just know that I'm not so good with the whole 'feelings' thing. You're girly-er that I am, you know."

Things must have been grimmer than I thought, because he didn't rise up at my insult.

"Yea, I would rather send that yak, but you will have to work. Good luck."

I told him thanks and we were off. Within a minute, Skullcrusher started to home in on a scent, and it was in the same direction as Hiccup's fort. Or man-cave, dragon-nest, whatever you call his sweet little hideout. That thing just needs some basic supplies and it could withstand any army in existence. A large outer island stops ships from being able to attack the sanctuary, while catapults would be too slow to do any damage when you can set them on fire with dragons. And the lagoon in surrounding the sanctuary stops any rushing infantry. The only thing that stands a chance to attack the place is dragons…

After about half an hour of night flying, we arrived at Hiccup's home. We flew to the top of the sanctuary (which is _totally _becoming the name for this part) where we were greeted by Hiccup, in a surprisingly chipper mood.

"So, what did you think? Did I come off too forcefully, or not enough?"

"What?"

"What did you think of 'The Rider' tonight? Think he established himself as someone not to be messed with?"

"You aren't upset?"

"Ah, I am a little peeved that I didn't get to show off any other dragons, but the mystery may help me anyways."

"I flew _all the way out here_ just so you could ask how you performed?!"

"…pretty much."

Oh. Well, now that I think about it…

"Well, I suppose I can have it discussed in the morning, but I think that you set yourself up as someone with authority. The type of guy that you would rather capture than kill because he would have something up his sleeve."  
>"The type of guy you wouldn't mess with?"<p>

"Yes, the kind of guy who controls dragons and takes orders from no one."

Hiccup pondered this, and something _warbled_ from behind me. I swear on my life that I didn't squeal, but I am ashamed to admit that I may have peed a little…

"Cami, did you just…_squeal?_ Like a _girl?_"

"NO! You're stupid pitch black, perfect camouflaged demon there just snuck up behind me!"

"You landed in front of him. He's been sleeping there since before you arrived…"

"Oh. Speaking of sleeping, do you have any beds around here? I can kick you out of yours if there is only one."

"Gee, how considerate. I'd suggest snuggling against Hookfang, most of the inside is still cooling off."

"Cooling off?"

"Yea. I'll show you in the morning…" Hiccup walked behind me and lay down against the ground. And the bump grumbled and shifted a little, and Hiccup disappeared from sight.

"What in Thor's chest hairs?!" I loudly whispered, realizing that I probably don't want to wake Toothless up.

"Can you not see him?" was Hiccup's reply.

"See who? Toothless? All I see is darkness…"

"Huh… Odd. I can see his outline pretty clearly in the moonlight…"

Moonlight? There isn't any moon.

"Hiccup, there IS no moon..."

"Oh. _Huh._ Strange, isn't it? Oh well, I am going to sleep. Go over there or something."

"Fine, I will. You'd be lucky to have me sleeping nearby, for your information."

Both Hiccup and Toothless groaned in unison; the message was clear: let us sleep.

I still felt as if I had just been left out of some important realization. It matched the times that I could swear that Hiccup was talking with Toothless, and Toothless was _talking _back somehow.

"Yea, maybe they are rubbing off on each other…" I said softly, chuckling at the idea.

_No, that just _**outrageous** to think…

Author's Note: Hey guys. It's been a while, Thanksgiving has made writing hard since we have 12 family members at our house at most times. The fact that I fell a little behind on my research paper meant my writing time mainly went to that. This chapter is a little short, but I feel it ends on an important part. Next chapter, I will explore renovations to the Sanctuary and I will do Hiccup's training montage. Soon a confrontation with the Red Death…


	8. Behind Blue Eyes

Exodus and Return-us

Chapter 8

Hiccup's POV

When I woke up the next morning, the world was completely black. Not dark, but utterly void with no light. And it was hot. And lumpy, now that I think about it…

^_Why are you suffocating me with your wings?^_

All I received was a grumpy huff from Toothless, and he gradually opened his wing to let me up. I got up, stretched, and flinched when I turned around.

"Oh. Yea. I forgot about you Cami…"

My words were lost on her. She was sitting on the lip of the hole that led into the Sanctuary, with a gob-smacked look on her face.

"HOW did you build all of this?" She asked me.

_Oh yea, they should be done!_ I walked over to where Cami stood, and looked down upon the renovations. Toothless and I had tracked down a very large pack of Gronkles that were collectively strong enough to resist the queen. They had been living on their own for ages, and when a Night Fury and a human in a mask flew up to them, they weren't extremely friendly. They surrounded us, but Stormfly flew down and helped Toothless talk us out of the situation, with me not being able to hear the Gronkle's replies.

After about an hour of talks, I was allowed to bond with the leader of the Gronkle pack. I have him a small gift of dragonnip and a few good scratches, and like that I had the loyalty of all 250 Gronkles. Not kidding, that's _all_ it took…

I brought them all back here, and they decided they wanted to help me turn this place into a haven for dragons and dragon-riders (in case the tribes banish anyone who wants to bond with a dragon). After I told the Gronkles what I had planned, they realized what they could do to help: Gronkle Iron crafting. Since Gronkles' tongues must direct lava blasts, they are almost completely burn-proof. It was a simple process of leading the Gronkles to the certain types of stone that comprised the special metal and then directing the metal should go. The Gronkles would use their tongues to shape and flatten the structures, and we all spent most of the day upgrading the Sanctuary.

Now that I could see the changes in full light, I am glad that I made sure to use Shadow Iron. All it takes is adding charcoal powder while the Gronkle Iron is hot, and it comes out with a dark texture to it. This reduces the glare from the sun significantly, which is handy right about now.

Chief among the changes is the stairwell. Each of the inner fourth's now has stairs so people can walk down, but don't interfere with the airspace or flight-paths in and out of the combs. That particular change was the most important change, but not the only significant one. One addition that took most of the day was the retractable roof. I designed a cone-like structure that split into two halves, and then added in a gear-tread on the edges that would allow for easy opening and closing. All it would take is two dragons on each side to pull up the cones, or one for each side to push them back and hide them under the lip of the opening.

I didn't think that these were big changes, but Cami seemed to think otherwise.

"This is incredible! How long did it take you to do this? HOW did you do this?" Cami asked incredulously.

_*You should tell her you built it with your bare hands! THAT would blow her mind!*_

_^Glad to see you are conscious enough to make fun of my size, bud.^_

_*Always!*_

With a huff, I turned to answer Cami, but hesitated as I watched her read me. She seemed to be paying close attention to my actions and mannerisms, as if something seemed off or she suspected I was hiding something.

_^I think she starting to catch on to us.^ _I decided delaying my answer any more would just make me seem odd.

"Eh, I just kinda _willed_ it to be there!" I put my hand to my head to punctuate my mental powers, "and POOF! There it is!"

_*Well no duh she is catching on after a lie like _ that_. If she wasn't curious before she will be now…*_

_^I don't here you helping out…^_

The look on Cami's face spoke volumes: most of those read "bull" but maybe one or two out of a thousand were filled with a hint of doubt.

"Yes, I'm sure. Yet you still can't go home." Ouch. Had to go there, didn't she…

_*OUCH! She told you! At least she didn't mention the fact that you could 'will' yourself not to be such a failure!*_

_^Thanks, if I wasn't emotionally unstable after the confrontation last night, then that should do the trick.^_

"Oh. Uh, sorry. I was kinda sent here to make sure you _weren't_ feeling bad, so…yea." Well at least she has the decency to apologize…ish.

"Nah, its fine…"

Awkward silence, and nothing else.

"…so how did you build this, oh mysterious dragon tamer?"

_*HEY! I. AM. NOT. TAME! I AM FEROCIOUS AS HELL!* _Toothless didn't _just _shout this in my ear, he also stirred a little and growled noticeably loudly.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Oh, he just wants to display his pleasure at your grasp of my achievements…" I'm not really sure what I expected when I said this, but the icy glare I received from Toothless could calm even _my dad_ down.

"Yea, sure. But seriously, HOW?!" I am pretty sure that was a threat.

_*Yea, why isn't she curious about you now? You're just the crazy Night Fury rider who tames dragons with his hands and sleeps with them at night…*_

I had to cough to keep from laughing when Toothless said that.

_^Tames with my hand and sleeps with? Is there something you need to tell me, bud?^_

_*WHAT! NO! NOT LIKE THAT! It's just, you come into town riding a dragon and-*_

_^Oh, is THAT what you want, huh?!^_

_*OH. MY. THOR! Just stop!*_

_^…^_

_*Ugh, are you SERIOUS?! I swear, one of these days I'm gonna kill your thick-headed sassy self!*_

_^…Thick headed, huh?^_

_*__SON OF THOR, __I QUIT! I'M DONE. NO MORE TALKING.*  
><em>"…ahem…"

Oh. CRAP. She's still here.

"Yea, so I had Gronkles build all that!" Hopefully, that will get her back on track and make her forget what just happened. Wait, this is Cami: that's not gonna happen.

"Oh, no no no! Don't redirect! What was all (she gestured to me and Toothless with both arms in wide motions) _that?_"

"I-uh, I have no clue what you mean."

"Uh huh. Tell me. NOW."

_*If you like your parts where they are now, I would tell her…*_

_^Fine. Apparently I'm not the only one here who likes my 'parts where they are' so I might as well…^_

_*JUST DROP IT!*_

_^Nope. Not gonna do that with her standing here!^_

_*NOT YOUR CLOTHES, JUST—FORGET IT. TELL HER.*_

"Fine, but you won't believe me…

(Same POV)

"So you want to tell us…that you can _speak_ with _dragons_ after being 'properly introduced'?" Thuggory asked. He landed about two minutes after I started to tell Cami, so I decided he should be told also.

"And you think that it's making you quicker?" Cami finished.

"Yup, that's pretty much exactly what I told you."

"But…how? Like, I get that it's through your mind, but why? When did this start? Has it always been around?" Thug was beginning to ask questions that had stumped me ever since Toothless and I first spoke. I had a feeling it would be a long time before I had answers.

"When do _we_ get this ability?" Good ole' Cami, not one to be left out of something extremely rare (or dangerous, but let's hope it doesn't get that far).

"I don't know. Maybe it's a just a Night Fury thing, or like specific dragons…"

"I don't know, Hiccup. This is starting to sound like something ordained by the gods…" And there you have it. Someone finally had the courage to say what we were all thinking, and of course that someone was Cami.

"Well, on that incredibly powerful and terrifying note, what's the plan for the rest of the Sanctuary, Hiccup?"

Thank the heavens Thug asked that. It felt like the air was being sucked out of the room, and we were _outside_.

"Well, the Gronkles have moved in, and there is still a butt load of room… but I have a feeling that we need to make this place bigger…"

"Bigger _how,_ Hiccup?" Cami asked. And I am glad she did… I had a plan to run by them.

"I was thinking something along the lines of caves and massive underground bunkers underneath the outer ring of the island." Thuggory looked at me as if I lost my mind. Cami just snickered; chances are a sarcastic comment was coming my way.

"And what are you gonna do, _will_ a big hole?" Checkmark! Sarcastic comment achieved.

"I still haven't truly figured that part out yet. I'm pretty sure were gonna need a lot more dragons, but I am kinda stumped on how we did caves underneath the water…"

"Underneath it? What the heck do you mean, _underneath_ the _water_?! Sounds like a quick way to DIE!" Thug, ever the voice of reason.

_*I agree. I would much rather be alive and breathing air then dying in a cave underneath the water… besides, who knows _what_ might come find us in a cave.*_

"What did he say?" I could tell Thug was still uneasy about the idea that dragons are smart enough to talk, let alone have personalities, but he was soldiering on despite his reservations.

"Oh, just whining about his fear of the dark and such…" Toothless smacked me in the back of the head with the prosthetic fin, just to cause me a little extra pain.

"Hey! You need that to work, you know!"

"Anyways, since you think that this whole 'thing' with Toothless has made you quicker, why don't we start your training?" Oh no. Cami just opened a can of worms, and Thug wasn't going to let it go…

"Excellent idea! We should add that to the list of things to build up top on this wide open space! A sparring arena! We can put it somewhat close to the blacksmith, since they are both noisy, and keep the rest of this place quiet…"

"Oh yes, I do _love_ it when people start to take over my renovations without me!" I replied, with my years of sarcasm bleeding into my speech.

"Well, until then, let's go back to the village. The Hooligans {oh yea, Hiccup, how are you doing? Didn't bother you to see them? Good, that's why I came here anyways} have left and I told everyone I would go find you so we could begin training anyways. Time to see if that goofy sword-staff-cane thing is any good…"

*_Huh, yea. I bet it fails. That thing is one of the goofiest designs I have ever seen, and I have raided plenty of villages in my time.*_

^_Glad you think it's goofy. I used your wing and tail joints as the key base for the whole mechanism. It's basically a Toothless-Staff, so it probably is designed poorly…^_

_*HEY! Watch it, little whelp!*_

(Thuggory's POV)

I gasped for breath as Hiccup fought me off the edge of the ring _again._ It's only been a week, and while Hiccup's form is near flawless, his execution has been sloppy. It's completely normal, seeing as he is very new to dueling and fighting, but he's just so darn quick that he makes up for everything. And he doesn't get tired nearly as fast as everyone else. I'm beginning to think that this whole 'Toothless rubbing off on him' thing is true, because I just made him run a three mile sprint with crab walks and bear crawls and a boulder-pushing break in the middle and he came back winded but still beat me. There's no other explanation: Thor himself must have given Hiccup the spirit of a lightning bolt, there is no way a kid that small could have that much energy. I have a new surprise for him, and this time I think I've got him.

"Have you caught your breath yet, Thug? You big guys are always bragging about being so stronger but you can't take two steps without gasping for air…"

"Yea, yea. Talk big while you hide behind your mask, typical. If I didn't know better, I'd say that between the mask and the whole 'dragon-powers' that you were a different person when you wear that."

"Good. Let the word spread; I'd rather not have to prove myself over and over. It's easy to scare some people and let the reputation do the work."

"I guess that's true. I do like the new mask. How long did it take you to convince Toothless to let you use his scales?"

"Not as long as it took to melt them. I decided just to melt the bottom side and then stack them like actual scales. Saved me a ton of time, and as much as Stormfly loves me I don't think she is up for helping in the forge for a while…"

"Anyways, I've got a new challenge for you…"  
>"Yea, sure you do. What is it this time, Thug?" Hiccup replied, and I signaled to my men to join me.<p>

"You are going to fight all three of us…at once." As I finished that sentence, I drew my sword, and my men did the same. I chose two men who were better than average at dueling, so if we did overwhelm Hiccup then my guys would know to stop.

"Oh. _Great._ What, did you get tired of losing fairly?" Hiccup retorted. It seemed to be more of his fallback sarcasm, the type he used when he was being backed into a corner.

I never replied to Hiccup's taunt; instead, I started the fight. To my left, Hogard drew his broadsword, and Dak to my right drew out a weapon that most closely resembled a long sword. While Hogard's weapon was standard length with a good amount of weight and width, Dak's sword was a little longer and lighter, but not as durable in the long run. I myself usually fought with a war hammer with spikes on the front and back, but such a weapon was suited to dragon-slaying and not dueling. Instead, Hiccup made me a claymore using his special metal (which, by the way, is completely awesome. He could make a fortune selling weapons made from that stuff).

Hiccup drew "Bo," the name he gave to his little multi-staff contraption. He had upgraded it once this week, which allowed it to compress into two small rods just barely as wide as his own hand once the staff had been split into two. Now, he merely crosses his arms and reached to his side, drawing the half-staff from his right side with his left hand and vice versa. Once he had them, he kept his arms crossed in front of him as the staff parts expanded until he was holding two halves in each hand, with his forearms still crossed in front of him.

_I swear, I've never met someone who loved to make an entrance more than this crazy kid…_

Hiccup finally began spinning both rods in his hands, uncrossed his arms without the spinning rods colliding, and mashed the two halves together. I heard a small click, and Hiccup held his staff in one hand as he beckoned us to attack with the other.

_It's about time. I've only been waiting forever…_

Hogard and Dak both charged, with Dak reaching Hiccup first and taking a sweeping strike at his feet. Hiccup _back flipped_ over the blade, landed with perfect balance and footing, and instantly put up the left side of his staff to block a diagonal swipe from Hogard's inner side (inner being relative to Dak. The attack came from the middle of them and swiped away).

I walked forward watching and waiting for a good time to strike. If need be, I would take a few swing to keep Hiccup on his toes, but I didn't bring these two guys with me so _I_ would do all the work.

As soon as Hiccup blocked Hogard's diagonal swipe, Dak had recovered enough for a lunge. Hiccup spun his staff, with one end knocking Hogard's blade and causing Hogard to lose his balance, and the other end spinning to knock aside Dak's lunge. Dak's blade missed Hiccup by five inches, and left him completely exposed. Hiccup detached his staff with a speed fast for even him and jabbed Dak in the gut with the butt of one of the staffs. I threw my blade up to block the downwards thump I was sure Hiccup was going to deliver to Dak's back, but what he did next completely caught us all off-guard.

Hiccup performed a front flip this time. He landed solidly on top of the flat of my blade and Dak's back, then gave a firm shove as he jumped off again. Dak was sent to the ground still holding his gut, and my blade was now touching the dirt on the farthest side of me from Hiccup. Hiccup turned his jump into a long back flip, that went almost 7 feet horizontally and 8 feet vertically seeing as he jumped off of Dak. As he was upside down, in midair, he swiped out with the half-staff in his hand. Everything seemed to go in slow motion at this point: I briefly made eye contact with Hiccup, and his eyes were _blue_ where they usually were green. Not just any blue either; a light blue that got darker as it neared the edges. And it seemed to glow. It didn't shine, and you couldn't see it in the dark, but when you looked at his eyes they seem to glow with some sort of power. Or magic…

While I was lost looking at Hiccup's glowing blue eyes, this half-staff smacked right across the face. I had become so fixated on his eyes that I forgot about that incoming blow and was knocked clean off my feet, but I landed facing Hiccup so I was able to see how he finished his flip. Hogard has literally just recovered his balance when he looked up and saw a spinning ball of crazy dragon-boy. Hiccup accelerated his flip, doing a second back flip, and when he neared Hogard he extended a foot. That foot promptly stuck Hogard in the face, causing him to fall back onto his rear.

Hiccup finished his flip, landing in a long stance, with his left knee bent and the other leg extended back, as if he was about to start a sprint. Hiccup's right hand had connected with the ground to help him maintain balance on his landing, the other hand holding the full staff out to his side. Hiccup slowly stood up, planted the butt of his staff on the ground, and asked "Anyone else?"

Dak and Hogard were too stunned (and frankly a little embarrassed) to speak, but I had no problem.

"Hiccup… are you feeling ok?"

"Yea. I feel…great, actually. Why?"

"Your eyes. They were **BLUE**, Hiccup. But they aren't anymore."

"Blue? Really? I'm pretty sure I'm green eyed. I match Toothless, remember?"

Wait a minute. He matches Toothless? Is that a coincidence, or were they meant to find each other… if they can talk, and this bonding thing has made Hiccup faster, then maybe that was another side effect.

"Hiccup, do think it's possible that you, er, _inherited_ some battle instincts? Like maybe when they activate your eyes change?" I forgot that I had two people, Hogard and Dak, that don't know about Hiccup's speed change and don't need to know. Fortunately, Hiccup was clever enough to understand what I meant.

"Yea, it's possible I guess. But I never did take after my father much…" Good recovery Hiccup, I nearly screwed that up. Stoic is legendary for his bloodlust and instincts in battle.

"Aw, come on! You are as stubborn as they come!"

Before Hiccup could reply, Cami flew in and urgently called out for Hiccup to get on. She said something about a rampaging dragon having a staring match with Toothless in town square. Hiccup was on the dragon in a flash, and I ran over and hopped onto Skullcrusher to follow them.

When we got to the square, it wasn't hard to find the action. Toothless was standing in a very aggressive position and growling at a dragon with a thin, tail-like body covered in spikes, and a large circular head with just as many spikes. The dragon's eyes seemed slightly glossed over, but when it noticed us it opened its mouth with a silent roar…and by Odin's beard, this thing had _TEETH_.

"Yea, good job _Toothless_. Pick a fight with a dragon that has more teeth than anything I've ever seen. Perfectly ironic." Cami called out, without really thinking. The dragon looked dead at her, before noticing Hiccup. Then, it began this whispering noise that freaked me out. I wasn't the only one, as other villagers began to back away. It was then that I remembered what this thing was…

"Hiccup, that's a Whispering Death!"

(Hiccup's POV)

I walked up to Toothless, and put my hand on his neck to let him know I was there.

_^Bud, what's going on?^_

Toothless didn't seem too happy, and never broke his intense glare towards the Whispering Death.

_*It's him. That cursed species over there is demanding to speak to someone. Can I kill him _now?*

^_NO. Who does he want to speak to?^_

_*He calls him '_Dýr vinr_' but I don't know what that means. NOW can I kill him?*_

_^No… 'Dýr vinr'…that means 'beast friend'… does that mean me?^_

_*Regardless, I am about to tear every spike off of that thing.*_

_^Ask him if it would be alright for me to bond with him. I need to touch him in order to be able to speak.^_

_*WHAT! NO! BAD IDEA*_

_^Toothless...^_

_*Fine*_

After Toothless asked, he was silent for a few seconds.

*_He said that if you are able to speak to him, then he won't cause any harm… I doubt it.*_

_^Well, it's worth a shot.^_

I walked forward slowly, with one hand outstretched to show I wasn't a threat. I got three feet away, before Toothless relayed to me that he wanted me to remove my mask. I slowly did so with my free hand, and attached it to a clip at my side that I had installed.

"It's okay, count me as a friend. We have to trust each other in order for this to work. I'll go first." I spoke to the Whispering Death, hoping to put it at ease. The last thing I need is for 1000 spikes to feel nervous with me standing right here.

I turned my head, and reached out my arm as I usually do for this sort of thing. It was completely quiet. No one watching dared to breathe. After a few seconds, I felt rough scales in my hand, and turned my head back. I scratched the dragon's head a little bit, and heard a new voice ask me a question. The voice sounded a little bit raspy (which is odd considered there isn't a throat involved yet it sounds like a sore throat).

_^*It is true that you make peace with dragon's and men?*^_

_^Uh, yes. That's me. How did you know about me?^_

_^*Word has traveled faster than usual, which is impressive considering it is being spread by air. I must know, should a conflict arrive, would you take the side of men or dragons'?*^_

Well, that's probably a loaded question. I'm not sure what he is getting at, but I already left Berk for Toothless and killed Drago, so it's safe to say that I am on the dragons' side.

_^I abandoned everything and everyone I knew for Toothless. Ultimately, I am on _his_ side, but that does mean I side with dragons.^_

_^*What is your name, young one?^_

Even random dragons call me young now! Can't a Night Fury rider get any respect?!

_^Hiccup.^_

_^*Then Hiccup, first Rider and friend of dragons, on behalf of all of my kind, I was sent here to ask for your help. There has been a complication with those you call "Outcasts," and we are in desperate need of you to rescue the egg of our leader.*^_

This took me by surprise, but Toothless was REALLY surprised.

_*Your leader? You mean there is another Screaming Death egg? And you want us to save it?*_

_^We _need_ you to save it. If he perishes, then the Queen will be able to capture our minds.^_

Oh. That's not good.

Author's Note:

This chapter has been pretty long, so I am happy with it. I thought that I would make this chapter about the Screaming Death rescue, but Hiccup's training and battle instincts needed to come first. Next chapter should set in motion the major events for the rest of the story, so it's about to get interesting…

Next chapter includes the Screaming Death rescue (and all that entails) and if that isn't too long then we will finally learn what happened to the rest of Drago's fleet!

As always, leave a review! This week, tell me what you think of Hiccup slowly gaining abilities. Are you:

1—Hate the idea of Hiccup gaining powers

2—Not a fan of Hiccup gaining major powers, but a few minors ones are fine

3—Powers or no powers, as long as the story is good

4—Like the idea of gaining abilities through his bond with Toothless

5—Think that Hiccup should become extremely powerful

Keep in mind that nothing is instantaneous. When I started this story, I wasn't a fan of Hiccup gaining powers at all because all but one of those stories usually overplay it or lose sight of Hiccup's true personality (exception: Special Gifts. That story is amazing). So the fact that I made Toothless talk (which I usually don't like) and that I am slowly giving Hiccup at least a few powers so far (which I usually don't like) puzzles me…


	9. Whatever Floats Your Armada

Exodus and Return-us

Chapter 9

Eret (Son of Eret)'s POV

Well, I never expected to be in this situation, that's for sure. I currently have a maniac grinning ear to ear because his strategy was successful. How did I get here? Great question…

You see, working for Drago was considered distasteful by many people, but _willingly_ switching to Drago's side was seen as dishonorable. Not that I care about honor all that much, but when Drago's armies crush the Archipelago, by spot right next to him will bring me more honor and glory than any fisherman like my father could hope for. I mean, the guy is trying to break the wills of dragons, and its _working_. Or it was, that is…

You see, Drago is the one feared by all of the dragons. That's why of the few dragons we have, we don't have many escapees. _Drago_ scares them into submission. But without him here, they began to get restless and much less cooperative. To the point that they were no longer safe to use as weapons for fear of burning our own ships down.

Why isn't Drago Bludvist here? That's a _great_ question; one that I would like to know also. They said he went to personally oversee the capture of a few ships and scare the nearby tribes. Nothing we haven't done before, he goes and takes the ships, sends the ships he brought with him back, and uses the new ships to attack the nearby tribes. He then floats back whatever ships survived, victorious to have caused so much damage to a threatening fleet nearby. It's quite genius, actually; another reason to serve Dragon, he is no idiot.

I had just come back from a smalltime dragon trapping excursion, and came back with the fear of the gods in me; I didn't have a single dragon to show for a week's worth of work. When I got here, Drago was supposed to either be back or arrive very soon after me. It has been two weeks, and there has been no word.

Many of the men started to become reckless, but the fear of upsetting Drago (while he was gone!) kept most men in line for a while. He's been known to leave for bits of time and leave spies among the men, so he would know who the weakest links are. Even with that reputation, after two weeks some of the men became nervous. The men began to whisper about holding a summit of Drago's war council and leaders among the men, in order to designate someone to run things smoothly till Drago's return, and I took the opportunity to officially call the meeting. It was a power play, to get my name out there and show a little bit of power, but I also hoped that I could use this meeting to restore order. If I did that, I could likely impress Drago and get myself a better position (possibly one of the reserved positions on the flagship).

As the meeting began, everyone shared their thoughts. What if Drago is dead? What if he is testing us? What if he wants to see who tries to claim his rule? All around, we believed it necessary to appoint a _de facto_ leader or at least a defensive coordinator in the event of another dragon flock attack. _That's_ when I began to speak up more, and others began to back away.

In the end, it was decided that since I was still within a year of having joined the crew, that I would co-lead with one of the veterans until Drago returned. It was great news for me! A position of power, even if nothing came of it. It gave me a good reputation among the men and allowed me freedom about the fleet.

We announced the terms to the crew, and just as we three arrows flew out from the top of a large rock formation. Two of them struck my co-leader, killing him in a matter of seconds, and the other one landed between my feet. I yelled out to everyone to get into battle positions, and ordered the lookouts to mount the nests.

It wasn't long before the lookouts spotted a fleet just barely larger than our own; the flagship's mast had some nearby tribe's crest, some sort of spiked dragon curled into a ball. It didn't matter, what matter now was that we were headed into a large naval battle, and _I_ was calling the shots. At age 17, _I_ was captaining a fleet into battle. If it wasn't the most terrifying thing ever, then it would have been extremely terrified. _If I lose this but survive, Drago will rip my head off with his bare hands_ I thought.

I ordered the ships to move forward, and engage the enemy in between a long row of rock stacks. This would constrict the sailing area, as only three ships at most could fit between the largest gaps in the stacks, and usually just two would fit. This would allow us to force them onto _our_ ships where we would have the upper hand. I yelled out the orders, and everyone followed them. It was awesome, no one even skipped a beat, and they just did as I told them. The other ships were told the strategy, and followed suit.

We met at the rock stacks, and the two ships that we had dragons on released whatever they had. They would have likely broken free during the struggle, but releasing them now gave the chance that the enemies would be burned by the dragons, or the enemies would help us kill the dragons. Either way, it helped us out more than it would hurt us.

Everything proceeded well for us. The ships rammed into each other directly between the stacks, with a few of our ships hanging back in case of a flank from the enemy. I over watched the battles, then remembered the archers on the stacks. I yelled to our archers to keep a keen eye out, and instructed them to watch the rocks. With our back archers watching the rock stacks, and the enemy beginning to board our ships, it looked like we had everything going well. The back enemy ships even looked empty, so they were likely undermanned or everyone piled up front for the frontal assault. It was possible they had a fleet too big for their army in order to intimidate local tribes.

Everything was going well, until the enemy gradually slowed their assault to a stop and their leader stepped forward. Even though there was no fighting on my ship, and therefore the leader was not on my ship, I heard him clearly. He had a booming voice, and a craziness about him that very distinctly set him apart as a Viking with more bloodlust than normal.

"I would like to speak with whoever you call your 'leader' during Bludvist's little time away…" Oh yea, that would be me. I cupped my hands and yelled back, "What do you want?" Great negotiation skills, if I do say so myself.

"Well, to start with, your full and unconditional surrender. Oh, and your fleet and men are now mine…"

I had begun walking down to the deck of my ship in order to be closer to the front line. I stood at the very front of my flagship, and the ship where the fighting was perpendicular to the bow of my ship. I was easily close enough for negotiations but far away not to be in harm's way.

"And why would we join a snobby brat when he is outmatched?" My men snickered at the comment, but the man looked undeterred.

He let loose a maniacal laugh at my comment. "And who are you to call me a brat? Does your mommy know you are here?"

_His_ men laughed, and even a few of my own men laughed… That's never good.

"Now, I will make you an offer. Since Drago is _dead_…" he paused here, to let the emphasis settle in, "I will absorb your crew and respect your honor and the positions of your leaders…"

"That's a nice try, but you can't scare us. How do we know that Drago is even dead?" I retorted. It helped some of my men to visibly relax; we don't have the brightest men, so thinking for them sometimes is required. Something tells me that _that_ is what Drago wanted: thoughtless drones.

"Oh really? What do you call this?" he said, as someone brought forward a large piece of metal…covered in spikes and built with a hollow top to go onto Drago's stump. _Beard of Thor_ I thought, _they really did kill him. Drago would _never_ be caught without that_. If my face went white, then everyone must have noticed it; all of my men became increasingly nervous and this man just grinned ear to ear.

"A-and if we re-refuse?"

His grin grew, and he twirled his finger to let me know to turn around…and when I did, there was one of_ his_ soldiers with a sword held really close to my neck. He was dripping wet, and looked really angry…as if he was forced to swim through the water to—_son of Loki, they swam around the stacks!_ _He was STALLING!_

"I think it unwise to refuse now, boy."

It didn't seem like much of a choice to me, because it wasn't one. I took a quick glance and noticed that my reserved ships were being held by the enemy and all of my soldiers were on their knees with their hands behind their heads. _They must have been extremely effective if I never heard a thing…_

"I think that we will take you on your offer. Who is it that we serve now, if I may ask?" I don't care what anyone says about me having the 'loyalty of an Outcast' or being as 'boneless as that ginger stick from the Hooligans' (whatever that means), but I made the best choice. With Drago gone, there was no reason to die now.

He laughed in that creepily maniacal way (that I assume I was about to get used to), and whistled to his men. They dropped their weapons, and someone was sent to relay the news to all of the other ships.

"YOU ARE ALL NOW UNDER THE COMMAND OF DAGUR, CHIEF OF THE BERSERKERS. I EXPECT THE SAME FEROCITY THAT YOU WERE KNOWN FOR UNDER DRAGO BLUDVIST, OR ELSE YOU WILL RECEIVE THE SAME PUNISHMENTS!"

_Great, we are serving a crazier version of Drago. Just PERFECT…_

(Toothless' POV)

I have been extremely reasonable so far. I mean, I _let Hiccup_ go up to a _Dirt-Eater_ and try to speak with it. That wasn't easy! I should have killed that thing! Then it goes on and says that all Dirt-Eaters need Hiccup's help…and it wants _us_ to help save their KING!

And I was _still _reasonable. I even didn't even say some things the hatchlings shouldn't hear. I _wanted_ to, but I was reasonable when I opposed helping the Dirt-Eaters. If Hiccup thought I was 'overreacting' and 'unreasonable' when we decided to help, then he was in for a surprise when he suggested summoning as _many Dirt-Eaters as possible to help us attack the Outcasts._ I thought he had lost his mind.

And that's where I find myself now, using every trick in the book to say "NO" to gathering the Dirt-Eaters. I am throwing a hissy fit for the ages, and I seem to be LOSING.

_*No. It is NOT happening. You are lucky you got me to come this far, you would not be wise to push your luck.*_

We are currently stopped on a rock outcropping in the middle of the sea, but one that is large enough to support a small grass field. Currently, Cami, Thuggory, Hookfang, Skullcrusher, Stormfly, and the Dirt-Eater that we already met were sitting on the grass, watching us argue. I am sure that Hiccup looked insane to the humans here, seeing as he is talking out loud and gesturing with his hands with most every word.

"I don't get it! What do you have against Whispering Death's? This could be HUGE for us; having this rare dragon-leader on our side? Who knows what this could do!"

_*I told you, it's a matter of honor! _WE_ are the masters of the sky, and every species acknowledges that _WE_ are the greatest flyers. But they fly underground; it's a disgrace…*_

He did not look impressed at all.

"That's it? Some stupid thing about pride? Have you forgotten that you are the Night Fury who was _shot down by a wimp_?"

Oh, so he wants to bring that up?

*_That is NOT cool, dude.*_

"Get over yourself! We have a chance to build something that the world has never seen before, and we don't need to be our own enemies!"

Why, how dare he? Insulting my honor, and then trying to manipulate my pride? I should be furious!...but he's right. I had lost sight of it, but we _are_ trying to accomplish something…

_*Okay, okay fine. But I still don't like this…*_

_^It's fine. We are going to let the Whispering Deaths do all of the fighting, so they don't feel like they are useless, and we are going to sneak in and secure the egg.^_

Oh. Okay, let them fight it out. Fine with me.

Hiccup walked over and mounted up, before turning to the group that had watched the spectacle with wide eyes.

"Alright, we will join the others. Where are they?"

_^*They have surrounded the Outcast village and have waited for the opportune time. We will meet with them when we arrive.*^_

"Then let's go."

(Alvin the Treacherous' POV)

I was already having a bad day, but it is just starting to look up. Someone yelled about a dragon raid, and if anything brightens my mood its blood trickling off of the end of my sword. However, as I ran out to join the fight, something seemed off; specifically, the fact that I didn't notice any dragons flying about or fire spewing anywhere.

"WHERE ARE THEY?" I yelled to the first man I saw.

"I-it's a pack of Whispering Deaths, Alvin. We _told_ you stealing those eggs were a bad idea!"

If he hadn't reminded me about the eggs, I would have killed him on the spot for speaking like that to me. However, I realized the dragons' plan.

"GUARD THE STRONGHOLD! DON'T LET THEM GET THE EGGS!"

I led my men into a ring guarding the door, and one by one the Whispering Death's surrounded us. It was a good ole' fashioned stand-off, and we waited for the beasts to make their move. We waited for almost a minute, before suddenly the door _behind _me blew open from the inside. The force of the explosion and the pieces of door knocked down myself and all of my men, and I looked up to see what the heck happened. Out strode a dragon as black as night, being ridden by a man in a matching mask. The man had all of the eggs in sack on the dragon's _saddle_, and held the large white egg in his hands.

"You would be WISE… _not_ to meddle in the affairs of dragons. I would hate to have to come back here; you people already smell bad, I don't want the smell of burning flesh assaulting my nose also…"

I got to my feet and charged the dragon, sword held high.

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" I cried out. The man calmly tossed the large egg up in the air (where it was caught by a Deadly Nadder, of all things) and stood up in his saddle. When I was 10 feet at out and still charging, he jumped forward and flipped over me. He drew what looked like a sword or a staff, and swung at my back. I had anticipated this, and stopped charging to put my sword behind me and block the attack. I spun and sliced diagonally, using all of my momentum. I caught him going to block my attack with a staff, and knew that I had him beat: no one would be able to withstand such a block without losing their balance, especially with a staff.

In a flash, his staff turned into short swords and he swung in the exact opposite direction as my swing. I braced myself to force through a powerful contact, but the force of the blow was not nearly as colossal as I expected. He switched his weapons into half staffs somehow and began to assault me; it was then that I realized that his _swords had cut clean through my broadsword_. Without my full sword, he quickly disarmed me and held a blade to my chest.

"I will NOT say this again: you WILL stay out of this or I WILL come back. And I won't be so nice next time…"

"Who do you think you are, you son of a bi-" I was cut off and he smacked me across the head with his staff. By the time I recovered, he had hopped onto his dragon. The dragon growled at me, then roared in an eerie, screeching manner. When he was finished, the rider gave a final comment before taking off:

"It is not wise to mess with a Night Fury or its Rider; you oughta '_hide and pray we do not find you_.'"

(Stormfly's POV)

_^But-but, do I _have _to?^_

I swear, I would have thought that teenagers would always jump all over an opportunity to get a date. Especially one that should be this _easy_. Humans and dragons both would usually go head over heels for that.

Yet here I am, trying to _convince_ Hiccup to ask Cami out. It's perfect; Hiccup is confidant and powerful enough as Rider to impress anyone and everyone, and is super sweet and cute as himself. He's just adorable, and I _know_ that those looks Cami has been throwing aren't meaningless…

_^*Yes, you have to. Trust me, it will work. You need to relax and try this, it will be good for you.*^_

_^Oh yes, because that is reassuring…^_

^*_Come on, what's wrong with this? Is it Cami?*^_

_^What? No! It's just…I don't…I…But…^_

_^*How cute, you even stutter in your thoughts…*^_

_^Hey! That's not funny!^_

_^*I know why you don't want to, Hiccup. You are fearless enough to cane-slap Alvin the Treacherous, but can't find the courage to ask Cami out…*^_

_^THANK YOU for seeing my point!^_

_^*You are going to try this, or else I am going to tell Toothless that you were too scared to ask a girl out!*^_

If nothing else convinces his to do this, then black mail it is! If only he would understand the good this would do him, even (and especially) if she declines.

As I told him that last part, his eyes widened slightly.

_^You wouldn't DARE!^_

I starred him straight in the eye while bending over slightly into a threatening position to show that I was challenging him.

_^*Try me, little one!*^_

He kept the stare for a few seconds, before finally caving in.

_^…fine, I guess. Just never speak of this, EVER. Got it?^_

I preened, and gave him an acknowledging squawk before flying off to a hiding place to watch Hiccup's first pick up attempt.

Seeing as we were overseeing the construction going on at the Sanctuary a la the Whispering Deaths, Hiccup only had to make a short climb up the stairs before reaching the grassy field where Cami had just dismounted Hookfang. I could almost hear Hiccup groan about the timing of events that would leave him no time to run for it. _Oh course,_ Hiccup would complain right about now, _she would land and be perfectly free RIGHT NOW._

Hiccup walked up to her, and I gracefully landed on one of the sills to the hole of the side wall, close to the conversation but out of sight. I called out to Hookfang to give Hiccup and Cami some privacy. When I told him why, he just snorted and said _well it's about time someone acknowledged it_. Hookfang flew into a large tree across the lake, and I flew over to join him. From here, I would have a bird's eye view of the meeting and be able to hear it if Hookfang kept quiet, which he will so he can hear it also.

Hiccup walked up to Cami, who had not let Hookfang's sudden departure go unnoticed, and tried not to choke on his own words.

"H-hey, uh, Cami…do you wanna-…would you like to, um, get some food?"

Cami arched her eyebrow (yes, I can see her eyebrows from here. I am that good) but seemed to wave the strangeness off.

"Yea, I'm starving. Do you guys have anything stocked around here?"

_Oh, she took it the wrong way! Hiccup may have a stroke trying to explain what he _actually_ meant!_

"Uh, well, actually, I kinda meant more, you know, _together_…"

Cami looked completely dumbfounded for half a second, but recovered quickly.

"Are you asking _me_ on a date, Hiccup?"

_Oh, that's not good. She is either deflecting or she is playing him, and either way that probably won't end well…but it will be funny._

"Uh, well…Yea, actually. I am."

"Do you _like _me or did Toothless put you up to this?" Cami asked this with a sly look of disbelief, but also revealed a tiny bit of humor in her eyes (yes, I can even see the humor in her eyes. #EyesOfAHawk thank you).

"WHAT!? No! Well, I guess…I mean, _he_ didn't put me up to this but-that doesn't mean I don't-" Hiccup dropped the ball _hard_. And he was doing so _good_, too. Well, as good as any mortal can do on _Cami_, that is.

"Ok, I get it. I do kinda like you too…but nope, not going out with you."

Ouch. OUCH. She just shot him down nonchalantly, as if she were asked if she liked light or dark blue more. Like it didn't _matter_…

Hiccup must have thought the same thing, and was stunned enough to actually stick up for himself (even without his mask, which is not something normal).

"Wait, what? Why not!? You just SAID you liked me!"

"I said I kinda like you, but I don't think I would fall in love with _you._ The Rider is someone that I could be with…"

"…but that's _me_, Cami. See? I have the mask and everything…" _Dear gods, you won't win over a girl by bombarding her with sarcasm… haven't I taught you anything?_

"No, it's not. You are a different person under that mask; someone that you aren't normally, like some sort of ruse that comes naturally."

"But then why can't you have both?"

"Because I wouldn't want to compare you to you. It wouldn't be fair. Hiccup, who put you up to this? Stormfly?"

"Yea, actually. Why does it matter?"

_Oh crap, she isn't going to actually _tell_ him that I am looking out for him? He hasn't figured that out?_

"Why do you think she is doing this? To get you a date?"

There was an awkward pause until Hiccup finally replied.

"…actually, yes."

If I had a hand, I would have face-palmed hard enough to give me a headache right here.

"I bet she did it for the same reason I can't date you: you're too reserved when you aren't Rider, and you are too brash when you are Rider. It works, because 'Hiccup' is one of the best people around, and 'Rider' is one of the most threatening people around. You just haven't found your balance yet."  
>"So I am too different because of my mask?"<p>

"In short, yes. But that's what makes you special. It will probably take you a while to achieve the best balance. By then, I bet you wouldn't settle for so little…"

"What do you mean 'settle for so little'? What's wrong with you?"

Good question, Hiccup.

"Not a damn thing! I'm just not _right_ for you, either. Right now I'm the hottest girl around who also happens to like you. However, once you are truly ready, you'll have any girl you want…and I think I know who _that _would be!"

Hiccup _groaned_. Loudly.

"Will you people ever let me forget that stupid crush?!"

Author's Note: Nothing Fancy Here. Leave your comments as always, I have read them all. Oh, last chapter broke my longest chapter record by ONE WORD, and that was completely on accident. Pretty cool though.


	10. New Codenames!

Exodus and Return-us

Chapter 10

Hiccup's POV

In what has nearly been a month since we rescued the eggs from the Outcasts, the Sanctuary has changed dramatically. Because of the presence of the Screaming Death (the name I gave to the King of the Whispering Deaths), all Whispering Deaths have been able to break free from the Queen's control. Many of them have taken up residence on Sanctuary Island, and the rest have begun digging out new Sanctuaries across the Archipelago. The Gronkles, although not having a true king such as the Whispering Deaths, have made peace with the Whispering Deaths and often help them construct these new hideaways.

Originally, not all of the Gronkles and Deaths would have fit. To remedy that, the Whispering Deaths dug out most of the Outer Sanctuary and the Gronkles helped add support with Gronkle Iron. Now, the Outer Ring is mostly hollow, yet can only be access from hidden passages for humans or from a few ports facing the inside of the island.

During the middle of the construction, I was called over to negotiate when a small pack of ten Scauldrons swam up to the edge of the Outer Ring. Turned out that they were curious, and were even willing to help us if they could have their own caves built into the bottom so that they can exit and enter through the water but sleep on dry land. It was a little challenging to have Whispering Deaths digging the tunnels below sea-level, but after two days of slow and careful digging, we had 10 Scauldrons eager to join us…which gave me an idea.

I remembered from my experiments with Gronkle Iron that eating too much sandstone caused Gronkles to create a fragile but clear substance. I found that if I backed this clear stuff with the silver Gronkle Iron, then I could create a mirror. The Gronkles worked overtime to produce massive mirrors and the Scauldrons helped place them below the water (well below their nests). Since the water around here is crystal clear, the sunlight shines down upon the mirrors, which bend the light into caves I had the Deaths dig. These caves ran _deep_ underneath the Island, but all combined in five places: four underneath the Outer Rim, and one dead center underneath the Inner Sanctuary. Once the rest of the Island was dug out, the Gronkles spent a week covering the edges of these caves with Gronkle Iron, and another week and a half to top that with the clear stuff. The result was magnificent.

In effect, the mirrors would reflect the sunlight into the caves (which were now lined with mirrors). The caves would reflect the light all the way around the island, and then it would pop up in five places. The light would shoot straight up at a mirror-ball, which would shine the light all around the walls. Basically, if the sun was shining, all of the Outer Rim and Inner Sanctuary would be well lit, and if the moon shone then all areas would have just a tiny amount of light to see by.

Drawing from this, the Whispering Deaths built a tunnel large enough to fly through underneath the Inner and Outer areas that allowed anyone to easily pass between areas. Once all of this was completed, small coves were dug into the sides of the walls of the Outer Rim to serve as individual nests for dragons that may come in the future. In theory, we now had space for one thousand dragons to live comfortably.

Two days after the Alvin Raids, the Screaming Death hatched. After a week, it was the size of a normal Whispering Death; after three, it was three times the size and already smarter than any of its kin. Toothless and I were told that the Screaming Death has had a history of temper issues, but I insisted on meeting it anyways…Toothless did not share my viewpoint at all.

When we met it, what happened took all of us by surprise. We met it after it had lived on the grounds for three weeks, and it appeared to already be fully matured. Toothless and I flew into the part of the Rim where it resided, and it called out to us to come near.

Toothless wasn't happy with the situation at all, which he let me know by forcing me to go first…

Before I even got a chance to bond with it, it spoke to me. It spoke slowly and with a gravelly voice, but held no malice towards us whatsoever.

_^*Hiccup, Toothless; Your choices have landed us here today. You chose to ignore convention and bond, which has proven to be a good choice. Again, you went against convention and allied a Death-Bane with my kin, and yet again nothing but good has come from it. I want you two to continue to do what you feel is right; you can never know what can come from one action…WE are forever grateful for rescuing my egg, and you shall ALWAYS find allies in us. I fear that you will one day need us, so know that we will stand by you.*^_

Before I could respond (or even think of something to say), all of the Whispering Deaths chanted something in unison. Which was odd, come to think of it, because I was not bonded to nearly half of them…

^*_AS LONG HICCUP_

_AS LONG AS TOOTHLESS_

_STAND TOGETHER _

_WE SHALL BE_

_THERE FOREVER*^_

_^*I have two gifts for you, Hiccup, and one for Toothless as well.*^_

Of course, Mr. High and Mighty complained about that.

_*HEY! Why don't I get two gifts?*_

_^*Because you are already good enough! You don't need anything else!*^_

_*Oh…I agree. Carry on, then.*_

I rolled my eyes; leave it to Toothless to be talked out of present with just a small stroke to his ego…

_^*Both of you have one gift that you must discover on your own, but Hiccup's second gift is much more…tangible…*^_

The Screaming Death led us down a tunnel that went even deeper than the sunlight reflection caves. Once we were about 15 feet below those, the path opened up into an extremely large underground cove. Other than support beams here and there, the cove was half as wide as the entire island, and had two areas that had already been specialized. One of those areas was a training ring built 5 feet down into the stone floor, and the other was a stone house of sorts.

I walked inside, and realized that I had been built a proper forge. Which brings me to where I am now. I informed both the Bog Burglars and the Bloody Knuckles that it was my intention to visit the next closest island to trade Gronkle Iron weapons. After about 30 minutes of roundtable discussion, it was agreed that I would man a massive ship alone (pulled by dragons, but would appear to be a one man crew) in order to make myself seem mysterious and accomplished. The ship would have a hidden hold for Toothless to hide when selling my goods, and would be modified with a structure that would discretely allow the ship to be tugged by dragons easily.

The only problem was that I didn't have a ship. 30 more minutes of talk (really, it was haggling), and an accord was struck: I would create custom Gronkle Iron weapons (beautifully engraved) for the Chiefs of both tribes, and they would combine their efforts to modify one of their ships to my needs. Since I had integrated dragons and killed Drago, they decided that this would help make us even. It didn't bother me; I was getting a ship and a good reputation at the same time.

Bertha ordered a long-hammer, which basically is a long rod with a blunt hammer on the end. Apparently, when one is endowed with massive mammaries, maneuvering small weapons becomes difficult, and long-handled weapons become a way of life. Everyone but Cami laughed in good nature when Bertha explained this; Cami seemed embarrassed that her mother (who _is _known as 'Big Boobied Bertha') was talking about boobs in front of guests. If that didn't horrify Cami, Bertha's comment about Cami needing 'a dagger for the right side and a hammer for the other-on my life, I don't know how she got so lopsided…' turned her face redder than I thought was possible.

Thuggory at least ordered something fun; he wanted a normal broadsword, but wanted the hilt hollowed out and a spare dagger built into it in case he should ever need a backup. I did him one better by turning the handle into the handle to a dagger. The dagger interlocks with the rest of the sword, but can be detached by the user at will.

That was two weeks ago, and both Chiefs took their weapons on small trading excursions to nearby tribes. Bertha and Cami returned yesterday, and said that all of the villages were interested in meeting this "mysterious masked man" who crafts "weapons worthy of being used as Thor's dinner knives." They also informed all tribes that I was somewhat 'odd' in some ways and told them that I would need to be "tolerated" or "humored" at times. Whatever, now I have people who are willing to trade with me, and I have been making weapons for two weeks.

Which brings me back to why I am in the forge again. I came down here to pack up all of the weapons, and have the Gronkles load them on the ship. I've decided on only selling a small amount to each village, so that my work and Gronkle Iron in general stay rare and valuable among the villages. Each village will only have the chance to purchase 25 items, and the leader of the village gets a special 26th weapon of their choice. As the Gronkles grabbed the last boxes, I walked over to the stone mannequin the Gronkles crafted for me and took off the new armor I created. Instead of having Stormfly or one of the Gronkles heat the metal for this set, Toothless insisted on helping me. He said that 'if you get us into major trouble, I don't want your life on the line because some second rate dragon couldn't heat the metal properly.' Say what he wants, but that translates into 'I care about you, and I want to make sure this is done right.'

As the armor cooled, I rubbed it with charcoal to give it the same blackness as the steps to the Sanctuary. I wove it into the leather fixings, and like that I had a brand new black armor set to match Toothless.

I donned my armor and mounted Toothless.

_^You ready bud?^_

_*Ready? All I do is sleep all day in the hold. Of COURSE I am ready!*  
><em>Of course, Toothless is excited about napping. Sometimes I wonder if he was imbued with the spirit of a cat…

As we neared the first village, I went back over what I knew about them. _This is the Battle Blonde clan. They are known for their 95% blonde villagers, and their general neutrality towards everything. Because of this, they trade with all clans and have the most information of any clan._

I ordered all Gronkles pulling the ships to dismount and disperse so the village does not see them, and had the Scauldrons pull the rest of the way. Once the boat was hailed by the docks, the Scauldrons swam off to watch from afar.

_*Ok, time to act scary and mean. Good luck (you need it).*_

_^Thanks. Feeling really inspired here…^_

I stood at the side of my ship as it was pulled to the docks, and waited until all commotion stopped. I made sure to keep my shoulders pulled back and my chin held high until their Chief addressed me.

"So, _you_ are the one that they call 'Ryder,' eh? Why don't you and your crew come down and we can talk about yer _intentions_…"

Nothing odd there. Just a Chief protecting his village.

"I must ask why you seem instantly…suspicious…of my intentions. Do you have any reason to distrust me, aside from never having met me?"

"I'll have you know that we here are a neutral clan in all matters, and it seems that you already have clans for and 'gainst you. The Bogs and the Knuckles described you as some sort of one man army with a heart o' gold, but I had an armada here two days ago who begged to differ on that last part…"

"An armada, you say? _Who_ said _what_ _exactly_ about me, if I may ask?" An armada is new; only people I knew of that had those were Dagur and Drago, and Dagur doesn't know anything but that… I… train… dragons… crap, this may not end well after all.

"Rumors like these shouldn't be discussed in front of the children or normal folk. Can I speak to you in a _private war council_?" Well, doesn't that just sound _lovely_.

"A room full of men who know how to fight and are armed to the teeth, and not a single person there would trust me? Forgive me if I am not thrilled by this scenario."

"You must understand, when a masked stranger visits our village, we are put on edge. Men who wear full armor yet are not armed themselves usually have a trick of their sleeves, like an ambush waiting."

"Who said that I am unarmed?" I asked while drawing my new sword. It compresses into the handle, and is spring-loaded to expand to full size at my command. The blade popped into place and I pointed the blade at the Chief before holstering it again.

"Well, isn't that a neat trick. We seem to be at a stalemate then. You believe that I will harm you if you step foot in my council, and I do not trust my life into the hands of you and your crew whilst aboard your ship."

Now I have him; if he refuses now, he will look bad in front of his village.

"Who said anything about me having a crew?"

"…ye don't?"

"Not at all. I am all I need."

"But how do you sail that ship without a crew?"

"That is but one of many of the secrets I do not feel inclined to share. Now, would you and your council like to come aboard and talk?"

Really, he can't refuse now.

"Aye. Lower the plank, then."

I slide out the plank and invited them aboard. Most of the men seemed jumpy and eyed the ship, but the Chief kept his eyes on me.

"Now, what rumors have you heard about me that I can clear up for you today?" I put a pseudo-excited twist on my voice, like a young child pretending to sell something to pretend customers. It caught the men off-guard, and a few found it slightly funny.

"At first, the Bogs and Knuckles led us to believe that you are a mysterious man with unmatched goods and pure intentions. I believe the mysterious man part and after seeing your sword, I would wager you have unique items, but Dagur differs on your intentions…"

"Dagur the _deranged_?" I retorted, with sarcasm bleeding into my voice.

The Chief looked a slight tad sheepish, as if ashamed that he was taking character advice from a madman. I finally took the time to notice the details about the Chief: he was probably six feet tall, which made him half a head taller than me, and he had a thick blonde mustache braided (much like Gobber's) and a long, braided beard coming off the tip of his chin. All of the rest of his beard well somewhat well shaved, and he wore a helmet that was wide and tall, coming to a point at the top.

"Aye, that's the one. I swear, that man must have doubled his armada; I don't remember it being _that_ big. He made a one-day stop at our village to tell us not to trust the 'dragon-loving man in a mask' who interfered with Berserker intentions… ring a bell?"

"Well, it does sound familiar. I save him a lot of trouble by killing Drago Bludvist, and that's the only time I ever 'interfered' with him…"

A few of the council members, all of which I noticed were blonde (more importantly, they _weren't_ 5% not blonde), seemed surprised, but the Chief took it in stride.

"Yea, Thuggory was braggin' on you for that one. He really seems to like you. And Bertha, who loved to show off her special 'Boob-proof' hammer…Odin knows we didn't need to hear about that…"

I gave a somewhat dark chuckle, and was about to speak when the Chief suddenly changed demeanor and pressed me for information.

"So what is this I hear about you stealing the minds of dragons? Some sort of dark magic, I presume?"

He drew his sword and held it to my throat. I remained calm, and waited to see how this would play out.

"Magic? There's no magic here. Just a ship sailed without sailors and swords that appear out of handles and a man dressed in black armor who hides his face…"  
>"Yes, I see. <em>All <em> is normal then, isn't it?" He ordered one of his men to take my sword, and then kicked me backwards. I made sure to stumble far enough to back into the largest mast, where my bo-staff happened to be leaning. I picked myself off the ground, and casually used the staff to lean on for support to let them think I was weak.

_^Alright bud, things have gone south. On my command, I want you to slowly and calmly make an entrance. The villagers can't see what happens up here, so I want as little of a commotion as possible.^_

_*Why should that matter? I should torch them where they stand!*_

_^I want them to have the option of keeping what they saw here to themselves, in case they decide that they _don't_ want to fight with me._

"I am not playing games! Many things we will tolerate here, but we will not receive someone who supports the very beasts that plague us!"

He walked forward to me, and kicked the staff out from under me. He thought that this would cause me to fall again, but had played right into my hand. I used his kick to spin the staff around and land a solid blow to the head of one of his men. I twirled the staff to knock down to onrushing men, and split my staff into two pieces in order to take on the remaining five men. I had to use multiple tuck and roll maneuvers in order to avoid making contact with their blades: any loud noise would only make the awaiting villagers suspicious, and I wanted as little attention as possible. I eventually took out the knees of three of the men and landed a firm poke to the bulging belly of the fourth.

The final man rushed me from in front, while the Chief rushed me from behind. I converted my staffs into short swords and turned until I held one blade to the front of each mans' throat. All went quiet as they realized they were now at my mercy.

_^Toothless, be ready on my command. Slow and ominous please.^_

_*Got it.*_

"Now gentlemen, I rather wished we could avoid conflict, but now I see only two options…" I motioned for them to move to one side, but continued to point both blades at their necks… "The first is rather messy, where I would have to clean a lot of blood off of my ship AND your village leadership would be instantly crippled…" I paused to let this sink in for what it was: a threat.

_*Now?*_

_^Right now.^_

Toothless slowly emerged from the hold, and slowly walked behind me. He walked in a fluid but threatening manner, and when he reached me he stood beside me and curled his tail around me. I sheathed one sword and rubbed his scales more to show that I _could _rub the dragon than to comfort him.

"The other option? We forget all that has happened on my ship. You tell your people that I am as neutral as you are, and we do business and both come away ahead. Even though you have made your reputation on selling secrets, this is one that you will _have _to keep… What shall it be, Chief…?"

I completely sheathed my staff, and extended a hand out to the Chief, awaiting a handshake. He exchanged glances with his men, and one man even came over and whispered something. After about 30 seconds, he seemed to have convinced himself of his verdict: he stretched out his hand and clasped mine.

"Chief Eric of the Battle Blondes, at your service, Mr…?"

"You may call me Fin. This…" I gestured to the Night Fury staring down his men "is my _Night Fury_…Fate."

_*Fate? Don't get me wrong, I like having a code name, but why 'Fate?*_

_^I'm surprised you aren't against calling me 'Fin'…^_

_*Oh SURE! Mock the cripple, huh? I oughta bite your foot off; THAT'LL teach you!*_

One of the men hollered out the same question Toothless originally had:

"Why is its name 'Fate'?"

I grinned under my mask, even though no one could see it.

"BECAUSE… you shouldn't tempt Fate…"

And that is how the legend of Fin and Fate began: soon, every tribe would either want to congratulate me, kill me, or _be _me. There will be _**NO**_ in-between…

Author's Note: Next chapter will start the conflict between Dagur and Hiccup (just in case it wasn't obvious that Dagur is the antagonist here…). As always, leave reviews.


	11. Rock Hard (and also some Ice)

Exodus and Return-us

Chapter 11

Hiccup's POV

Two months after our trade visit to the Battle Blondes, 'Fate' and I stopped at the home island of the Bloody Knuckles to help Thuggory's village train dragons. We had been to three other villages after the Blondes, and had run fresh out of items to sell. After our business with Thug, Toothless and I planned to head back to the Sanctuary and prepare the place for winter. Summer had just peaked, which meant that snow would be coming in a month back on Berk, but here we were far enough south to have an extra two weeks.

Training the Bloody Knuckles tribe wasn't very hard at all; at first, everyone was timid because, you know, there's a _dragon_ standing in front of you. After Thuggory _swaggered_ (and I mean every bit of that term) into the village square on the back of Skullcrusher, everyone was much more willing to try. Thuggory's village lay in the heart of the Archipelago's seas, and this meant that there were a higher percent of water dragons around. This has worked into the Bloody Knuckles favor for years, because most water dragons are quite reclusive. A prime example of this would be the Thunderdrum, which we found in abundance. It took longer to bond with these dragons, but they turned out to be some of the most loyal creatures I had ever seen.

It was while I was staying with Thuggory's people that I began to really think about the situation the Barbaric Archipelago is in. According to Toothless, the Queen is old enough to have been around for about 20 years when the Archipelago was settled, and over all of those generations the same thing has happened: Vikings and dragons have killed each other. After so long, we have learned so much about what is going on and have made huge steps towards piece, but one obstacle remains…

During training one day, while I was just overseeing the normal flight practices, I was approached from behind by a woman in her forties. I recognized her as one of the villagers who didn't hate dragons, but had lost her husband to them and couldn't bring herself to ride one. We had exchanged words a few times, and each time she would come back with some new question. Sometimes my answer would set her at ease, and sometimes it would stir an inner turmoil, but she was always kind and polite.

"Why hasn't the fighting stopped before, if dragons do not want to fight? Surely even some dragons would resist this 'Queen,' right?"

"They haven't had much of a reason to. Vikings still attack dragons on sight because we've always only seen them attack us…"

"Then the solution is to get them to stop attacking us, _then_ we can work on the Viking-aspect of things…right?"

Her question took me aback. In a nutshell, she just explained to me what needed to be done, even if she had no idea what I was thinking.

"Yes. That would be ideal…" I replied somewhat softly, just loud enough to be heard over my mask. Occasionally I would go without it, but I decided that I need to grow used to wearing it at all times or I would be likely to forget about it when it counted. Thuggory _still_ thinks I am showing favoritism to the Bogs…

She walked away, content (or even more stirred; I'll never know which) with my answer, but it got me thinking that maybe…I had been going at this wrong. Sure, building the Sanctuary was a good thing, along with making allies, but I shouldn't be teaching men to trust mind-controlled dragons; I should be teaching free dragons and Vikings how to trust _each other._

…which means I have to get rid of the queen. _Great; leave it to me to decide that my job should be the one thing that probably _will_ kill me…_

After I had made up my mind about what should be done, I decided that I needed how to plan for it. Obviously, I would need the help of as many dragon-riders as possible, and I would need a plan. Instead of asking Bertha and Thuggory to just blindly follow me into battle with a behemoth, I needed a well-formulated plan to convince them to fight with me. It took a week of planning, charting, theorizing, strategizing, and (mentally) breaking down, but I had a concrete plan to present to Thuggory and Bertha. I just needed somewhere extremely private to talk to them…so I invited them (and all members of their council who rode dragons) to my home.

It took another three days after I finished the plan to get everyone rounded up together, but I finally had everyone at the very bottom of the Sanctuary where my forge and arena were.

"Alright Hiccup, we've come this far. What is _this _important?" Thug asked, mustering all of the patience within him. That's not much (at all), but I appreciated that fact that he was trying.

"I have come to a decision…" I started off, with my new mask barely affecting my voice. I had built this one thinner and with better ventilation to allow me to breathe and talk more clearly. I purposed it for tribes I knew to be friendly or neutral, but I felt better wearing it while talking to my friends.

"…that I have been going at this all wrong. I'm trying to clean the house by scooping crap and straitening up messes when I need to kick the yak outside."

Cami started to grin slightly, and I could tell she liked where this was going. That's Cami for you, loves fights and confrontations…and they call _me_ dramatic.

"In order to achieve an unprecedented peace…" (Toothless helped me with that line. He was so proud that I was capable of sounding as proud as he was…sheesh, give me a break…) "…I need to kill the dragons' queen…"

At first, the room was silent. I looked around, making eye contact with as many people as possible. After a few seconds, some advisors started to whisper very quietly to each other. From the ceiling rafters (which Toothless _loves_ to sleep on and I hate: why does a stone ceiling need rafters?) I heard Toothless snort a comment.

_*Here comes the hurricane…*_

"I would like the help of _all_ dragon riders to defeat the Queen… that means you, in case you didn't put that together…"

_^Oh crap. Was I too mean there?^_

_*Not enough, actually. You oughta bear down upon them as the powerful dragon-rider leader who commands his subjects…*_

_^…last time I check, this was a room full of _Vikings_. They don't take kindly to stuff like that…^_

_*True. If you tried, Cami would have you pinned to the floor…and BOY, would you be having a 'battle of wills' with _her_ straddling yours legs...*_

_^TOOTHLESS! I am convincing tribes to go to war! I don't need to be distracted by anything!^_

_*Funny that you say that. If Cami wasn't such a late bloomer, maybe your eyes would actually look SOMEWHERE ELSE!*_

_^WELL NOW THAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT IT THAT'S ALL I CAN DO!^_

Speak of the devil, little miss 'late bloomer' spoke up from an otherwise dead-quiet room.

"Stop fighting with Toothless and tell us what exactly you mean when you say you want us to fight th of the _dragons_!"

"Sorry, is it that obvious?" Not the first time that Cami has caught on to my conversations with Toothless, but this time I was _really_ nervous that she could hear the subject matter. Thank THOR for my mask; if how hot my mask got is any indicator, my face is probably redder then those stupid thorny flowers that spring up everywhere.

"Ok, so I don't want you to just fly in blind or anything. You guys are good at fighting, but this thing isn't your typical dragon. I've spent a week planning this out, and I think I have a good plan…"

"You _think_ you have a _good_ plan? What exactly do you mean by 'good plan'?" That would be Thuggory, who seemed to have recovered from the shock of the subject matter.

"Well, here's the plan…"

An hour and a half of going over my plan with the councils, and the WHOLE time Toothless was distracting me by pointing out Cami's boobs. It was AWFUL. He caught me _every_ time I even glanced in her direction and even slightly looked down. If I happened to go as low as her chin, I would hear him go 'STOP LOOKING AT THE LITTLE GIRL'S BOOBS!' to which I felt the need to defend both myself and Cami by retorting 'SHE'S JUST SHORT! SHE'S NOT LITTLE! SHE'D KICK BOTH OUR ASSES IF SHE HEARD ALL OF THIS!' 'YEA BUT SHE WOULD KICK YOU MUCH FARTHER FOR _LOOKING_ AT HER _BOOBS_!'

For 90 minutes, I had to be uber serious with that in the background. I may never feed Toothless again after this whole experiment.

The last ten minutes were the worst; it came when I was winding down the talks, and both sides would soon be making their decision. I mostly had it in the bag, and was practically guaranteed that both sides would at least prepare for the fight. Toothless and I had been arguing over whether or not I had glanced at Cami's torso _again_, and I decided I needed to prove a point I waited until a lull in the crowd when more people were whispering and thinking of questions, and I looked straight at Cami's boobs for a good second and a half.

_^THIS is what it looks like when I look, OKAY? Can we stop this now?^_

Now, the gods above must truly love me or hate me. Would you believe it if I told you that Cami had been watching me the ENTIRE time I did that? Well she did...and Toothless found that REALLY funny. But even worse, Toothless nearly choked to death from laughing when Cami looked me dead in the eyes, somewhat-discretely clasped her boobs in her hands, and cocked her head to the side (no pun intended) while giving me a look that said 'oh, I'm sorry, were you trying to look at these?'

Toothless actually laughed so hard that he had to crawl down to the floor for fear of rolling off of the rafter while laughing. Most everyone glanced over to look at Toothless, but Cami took advantage of the lack of eyes around…she pulled at the neck of her shirt and then leaned forward over the table to purposely allow me to see more cleavage than I ever imagined possible without actually, you know, seeing something…

By this point, I was certain that either my red face was showing through my mask, or my cheeks were so hot that the mask would sear to my skin…

Cami leaned back up before anyone noticed her little…position shift (again, no pun intended). Right before she did, as my gaze was still held hostage by her cleavage, she slid one arm down to the base of her shirt. For a moment I thought she was actually going to take off her shirt, but instead I saw a middle finger appear in between her boobs.

And like that, my gaze was broken. And so was Toothless. I am pretty sure he stopped breathing the WHOLE time.

On a side note, the talks went well and both tribes agreed that all dragon riders should stay on my island for training. Bertha and Thug will make rounds back and forth to their villages, and by the end of the summer we were gonna battle the largest creature on Midgard… the sad part is, of all of the interesting things that happened in that 90 minutes, that _wasn't_ the most shocking or horrifying (at least not to me)…

And that leads me to where I am now: In my forge, doing my last perfections to my armor. I sent five Gronkles to each tribe's smith to supply them with Gronkle Iron, and made sure that anyone with any blacksmith skills worked as hard as they could to provide good armor for all riders. I spent most of my time training the 43 dragon riders under my command.

We have:

11 Nadder riders

9 Gronkle riders

7 Zippleback riders (I decided to place one rider at the base of the neck for these)

6 Monstrous Nightmare riders

6 Thunderdrum riders

3 Changewing riders

And Thug, who is the only rider to ride one of Skullcrusher's kind so far.

I spent most of my time drilling every little aspect of the plan into everyone's minds, and then prepared them in case something went wrong. We are still good on firepower, seeing as un-mounted Gronkles and Whispering Deaths will be on our side, but I still wish we had an ace-in-the-hole. Aside from a Night Fury, of course…

I had finished everything but the ankle guards, and currently Toothless and I are arguing over how to make them.

_*I don't care if they are gonna be more 'streamlined' if it means that you won't have _any_ armor on the insides of your legs!*_

_^If I put armor there it will only slow us down!^ _

_*Yes, I am _sure_ that my speed with be severely crippled by the added weight of Gronkle Iron shin guards…*_

_^But…but…^_

_*Just do it. I won the argument, admit it.*_

_^…fine. If we get eaten by a split-second, I blame YOU!^_

_*It would probably be your fault for lousy 'fin' maneuvering…*_

_^Whatever.^_

Ok, now that _that_ is cleared up, there isn't much left to do before we fly out. In fact, I think I might be able to take a nap for the first time in 23 da-NOPE. No nap for me; one of the Whispering Deaths just rushed in with urgent news. Great.

_^*Sir Hiccup! Sir Hiccup! We have an…unusual situation about half a day's flight north of here!*^_

_^What is it? What have you heard? And stop calling me 'sir,' it's just Hiccup.^_

_^*Berserkers, Mr. Hiccup. They are digging in the ice for something, and our scouts say they believe it will grant them a great power!*^_

Just perfect. Things have been slowly escalating between Dagur and me. Everywhere I go, I make good impressions on people that Dagur tried to turn against me, and that's driving him insane(r). For now, I count him as a potential threat, so him gaining a 'great power' makes me nervous.

_^Are the scouts still observing right now?^_

_^*Yes, they sent one kin as a messenger and the other two stayed behind.*^_

_^How fast do you think Toothless and I could get there?^_

Toothless perked up, ready for some action. Or anything away from all of these riders; they have been testing his patience this whole time. Something about 'no respect' or whatever.

_^*Considering the sun will touch the land in one hour, I'd say you make it there at the start of dark…*^_

_^Toothless, pack this up. Time for a stealth mission!^_

_*IS IT REALLY? YAY! I CAN GET OUT OF HERE!*_

K

The flight took a little over two hours for Toothless and I. We flew top speed in the highest part of the sky that I could withstand, and the lack of air allowed Toothless to cut through the sky at a mind-boggling speed. It must have been at least 50% greater than our previous top speed, and I was almost afraid of stopping after going that fast.

We arrived at the area just as the sun was setting, so we had to stay high in order to avoid being seen. We looked down to see, surely enough, Berserker ships filled with digging tools and tired workers. They had taken anchor next to a very large iceberg, and on the very top we saw the Whispering Deaths that we assumed were our 'scouts.'

We waited for about 20 minutes before it got dark, and we flew down low over the water. It was overcast, so no stars were out and the area looked pitch black to the normal human eye. We circled around and landed next to out scouts, who must have expected us.

_^*We overheard what they are digging for. They believe they have found the symbol of their people, and are excavating it from the ice. They have not said anything more specific than that so far…^*_

_^Ok. Looks like it is time to go investigate for ourselves…^_

We flew down to the flat part of the ice that the Berserkers had been walking past to get to the 'object.' They had wrapped up for the night, and had all went onto one of three ships to sleep. Toothless and I followed the beaten path that led to a cave, and followed it inside. At the end, we found something we never expected…

_^Toothless, is this what I think it is?^_

_*Yes. It is…and it is _extremely_ powerful, just in case you were thinking of letting the Berserkers capture it.*_

_^I wasn't thinking that at all…use your short-range cutting blast to start thawing out the area by its head. If it is alive, I want us to talk to it before we rescue it.^_

_*Rescue it? Hiccup, that thing is a _SKRILL_! It is so fearsome that it is the only dragon that both humans and dragons call by the same name. You know why? Because it scares us both!*_

_^Oh, the Mighty Night Fury isn't so tough now, huh?^_

That should set him right. If an insult to his pride doesn't rile him, then things may be more serious than I thought.

_*I'm not kidding, these things can be bad news…*_

_^Then let's thaw it out and get on its good side. It's better than DAGUR having it, isn't it?^_

*_Fine._*

It only took about five seconds of careful heating before the head began to emerge from the ice. About 30 seconds into heating, I had Toothless stop: the head and neck were exposed, and the eye was _following_ my movements.

_^Can you hear us? Are you okay?^_

_^*You little worthless Shadow, I am stuck in the ice. Do you THINK I am okay? I don't even know how long I've been here…I have no recollection of my past…*^_ The voice that came from the Skrill sounded like someone with a raspy voice was grumbling, but had an odd base. Instead of being deep and raspy, it sounded a tad-bit high key, like the voice adults would use for the bad guy in bed time legends. It also had a habit of putting a slight emphasis on the 's' sounds that almost gave the voice a slithering aspect.

_*HEY! What did _I_ say?*_

_^*…what? You mean the _Scaleless_ can talk!*^_

_^I am not sure whether I should be offended by that…^_

_*You should. He is no ordinary human. He has been chosen to be MY rider, and WE will be leading other rider-pairs into a glorious battle with the Queen.*_

_^*…hmmm. That is most…interesting, to say the least. How does that work, you just find a 'human' and go 'yep, I'll have that one!'?*^_

_^No. You have to find the right person, and then you have to trust each other. That's what the bond is built on: trust…^_

_^*And the Queen? I REMEMBER HER! SHE did this to me! Ordered me to be hunted down and disposed of! Now it is coming back to me!*^_

_^Provided we get you out, would you be interested in supporting our attack on the Queen?^_

_^*…human, if you get me out of here AND point me in the direction of that snake, then I will follow you to the ends of Midgard…*^_

_^Toothless! Get the guy out!^_

_*Fine fine! I'm hurrying!*_

After 10 minutes of thawing think ice, the Skrill was out and trying its feet for the first time in centuries. Time had not been kind, and the Skrill was in no condition to fly home. We would either have to wait on an island of Berserkers looking for a Skrill, or find some other way to get home…like a ship.

_^Okay, I have a plan. We have our new pal here stand on the flat area away from the boats and have all of the Berserkers try to capture it. Then, Toothless and I swoop in and grab him while our two Deaths clear out the nearest ship, and we take off before they know what happened.^_

_^*You just rescued me, and now you want to use me as bait? Sounds lovely…*^_

We dropped off the Skrill as planned, and Toothless let out a roar that was sure to wake anyone within a mile. Sure enough, the men on the boats fell over themselves to charge out there and surround the Skrill. The Deaths did their jobs, and I had Toothless fire a few bolts while swooping down.

"A NIGHT FURY! Eret, what do we do?"

"We don't have any gear, so DUCK!"

_*Good idea, if I do say so myself…*_

_^*I feel enraged that they aren't afraid of me like that. Like, I fire lightning. Isn't that what makes Thor so scary?*^_

_^Wow. He went there… I hope _we_ don't get shot down with lightning now…^_

We landed on the ship, and the two scouts told me that the ship was empty. They also said that this ship had all of the Berserkers' cargo, and by taking it we would also gain some plunder.

Once we had cast off, I walked to the rail to mock the Berserkers on the shore. I waved to them before taunting them.

"YOU FELLOWS SHALL ALWAYS REMEMBER THIS AS THE DAY…THAT YOU CARE ABSOLUTELY NOWHERE _NEAR_ CATCHING FIN AND FATE!"

And just like that, we stole from the Berserkers, stopped the Berserkers from gaining a new power, and gained just the weapon we would need to take down the Queen…

Author's note: There really isn't much of an author's note. Leave your reviews just like normal. Maybe tell me what you think of Toothless and Cami mentally torturing Hiccup with Cami's late-blooming boobs. I remember having Bertha make a joke about Cami being so little, so I decided it was time for Bertha's stock to gain some stock…sorry. Its 12:34am and my head is _filled_ with endless boob jokes. Tell me if you thought it was overboard or a welcome break from all the seriousness (or, tell if you thought something else)!


	12. Failed Dates and Successful Plans

Exodus and Return-us

Author's Note: This is finally here. The centerpiece of the story, the midway battle, the midseason finale. Oddly enough, when I planned this story this fight was more of a "ugh, I gotta do that _too_" for me. The hardest part is deciding what is going to be taken away from this battle, and coming up with a new way to kill the Red Death. I love the original way it happens in the movie, but when I read a fic I want to see a new take on the battle. It doesn't matter if like Hitchups or _The Becoming Series_ (I use the series because I can't spell LiftBrasier on my laptop; my phone has a german keyboard with those symbols) I don't really know exactly what happened, as long as I can tell it was unique, effective, and clearly 'Hiccup' I am good. So that's why I delayed this fight till Chapter 12; I had to find my way to kill the thing. I guess you guys with see how...

P.S.: This is my longest chapter yet. "Not sure about the net result, but until we know we're gonna count it a sin" -CinemaSins

Chapter 12

Hiccup's POV

With the edition of the Skrill, who fits perfectly into my plans, I feel much more confident about taking on the queen. Most of the dragons I have talked to believe that if we punch a hole into the side of the nest, the Queen will be distracted and her dragons will flee. With them out of the equation, it's just a matter of taking down the largest dragon in existence…

The plan mostly relies on distracting the queen or utilizing smokescreen tactics in order to allow our precision teams to strike specific joints and muscles. I had all spare carpenters work to build modified Bola Launchers that keep the double-bow design but fire one weighted Gronkle Iron spear. Hopefully we can either penetrate her skin from close range or at least annoy her from a distance…

When we arrived back at the Sanctuary, we sent word to the tribes to pack up all equipment and head to the nest. We sent a few dragons to each village to lead the ships, and started gearing ourselves for battle.

Now, I am flying to the Outer Rim to introduce our Skrill friend to the Screaming Death. They both share knowledge of the Queen that I could benefit from, and having the Skrill near someone who actually knows what the Queen is like may jog his memory…

We flew in, and I greeted the Screaming Death.

_^*Who is this? A Skrill, have we? My my, isn't this a pleasantry!*^_

_^This is…uh, actually, you haven't told us what you are called.^_

_^*I…don't remember. It's been too long, I still feel as if my head is clouded! ARG! Curse that stupid eel for her trickery. Until I remember, just refer to me as Bolt; it is a common term among my kind.*^_

_^*Hiccup, I hear that you are leading a strike on the Queen, yet you have not asked me for assistance… have you come to do that?*^_

_^…It's not my place to tell you what to do or ask you to fight for me.^_

_^*Aren't you using the Deaths for your preparations?*^_

_^Well, yea, but they don't have a designated _fighting_ role, per say…^_

_^*Well, forget about asking. I will fight anyways…I can guarantee that she will lose control of the dragons if I am there in person. She has no control over Bolt, Toothless, or me; all of us being so close to her will surely loosen her grip..*^_

_^Well, okay then. We leave at dusk tonight and will arrive in the morning…^  
><em>I walked back up to Bolt, making sure to stop and gesture to his back (never can be too careful with a dragon that shoots lightning), and flew back to the top of the Sanctuary where Toothless was mentally preparing himself for a gritty battle by taking a nap, belly up in the sun…

_^NIGHT FURY! GET DOWN!^_ I mentally yelled. Bolt flinched a little, but Toothless lost his cool. Instantly, he rolled over and jumped up, with his back arched and terror in his eyes.

_*WHERE?!*_

Toothless spun in a circle, eyes to the sky, before freezing and sitting up taller as if he had an epiphany. He turned to me and glared a dagger at me.

_*NOT. FUNNY.*_

Before I had the chance to fully mock him, Stormfly flew over to us. I had put her in charge of wondering around and making sure that everyone knew what they were doing, so she didn't have a strict itinerary but performed a vital task nonetheless.

_^*Okay, that's everyone. The smiths say all armor is in good shape, all riders are fully packed, and dusk is in 15 minutes. We are ready, Hiccup.*^_

"Well, good. Let's go talk to the troops and get ready to leave…"

I didn't say much other than coordinating who flies where and what the flight schedule is, and we were off without a hitch. We would likely fly all night and stay in the wilderness of Berk, well hidden and away from the village, and then meet up with the ships at the island.

We made it to Berk without an incident; Toothless and I didn't even get into a fight. There was chatter going all around the flight formation, both human and dragon, and I could hear it _all_ thanks to whatever has improved my hearing. Leading theory still says Toothless did that too, but it is starting to see ridiculous; I mean, speed, agility, night vision, dragon talking, _and_ hearing? That last part is just outrageous.

On the flight over, Stormfly flew up near my and talked to me privately. I'm not sure how, but I could tell that only I could hear what she had to say, and I am fairly certain that I figured out how to do the same.

_^*I've noticed that you are really quiet. I figured with this many people, and you hearing it all, you'd being spewing sarcasm from every orifice…anything wrong?*^_

_^What? Oh, no. Not really, I'm just trying to…listen to it all. I've been distracted; I thought hearing it all would confuse or overwhelm me, but I've taken in all in stride…^_

_^*You have, now, have you? Is there anyone in particular that you are paying more attention to?*^_

_^WHAT? ME? Nonono no no…I don't-I wouldn't-…ugh, I don't know…^_

Of course, 'momma Stormfly' trying to talk to me about my love life again. And naturally, she assumes that I'm stuck at the 'creepily eavesdropping' stage; I mean she's got every reason to assume that, but still…

_^*What about the girl leading the Nadders?*^_

_^You mean YOUR rider? Man, you sure abandoned that whole 'not gonna get a rider' stuff really quickly…^_

_^*Don't change the subject. Look me in the eye and tell me you don't know her name.*^_

THAT was very much so a challenge. And it was one I would lose, too.

_^Fine, I've watched her a little more than others. Her name is Heather, and she has taken to riding very naturally and is good with command. She was an obvious choice for Nadder squad leader.^_

_^*Oh, I _know_ that. You don't think the fact that squad leaders get to fly up here with you influenced that. I mean, look at her! She's cute, seems to like you, ADORES me (a very important trait, mind you)…what's not to like?*^_

_^Well, she is devious, maniacal, manipulative, competitive, and dangerous…^_

_^*Aaaaaand…?*^_ Stormfly just batted her eye ever so innocently, implying that those qualities didn't change anything.

_^It's like you painting Astrid's hair jet black!^_

_^*…AAAAAAaand?*^_

_^Fine, you win. I'll try talking to her. But I don't think that this is a great time for this…with the whole 'impending doom' lurking upon us…^_

_^*It's a perfect time. It shows everyone that you aren't scare senseless and you are planning for the future AFTER the battle.*^_

_^Or it shows everyone that I am trying to get one last quick score before we all die…^_

_^*And you are complaining about that because…?*^_

_^Fine. If it makes you happy, I'll invite her on a scouting mission so we can put eyes on the village when we get there.^_

I didn't get a reply immediately, but Stormfly preened.

_^*You seem to have forgotten something…*^_

_^What is that, you scaled chicken?^_

_^*She is sitting on my back, probably giving you the strangest look you've received from a girl in a while…*^_

Crap. Crap crap crap crap _crap_.

I looked up and made eye contact with her, and she just looked at me.

"…..is there a reason that you've been looking into Stormfly's eyes this whole time?"

"…uh, uh, uh…yea. I was talking to her."

_*Way to go, nimrod…*_

"Come again?"

"I…was talking to her."

She titled her head sideways, and scrunched her eyebrows down, but didn't question it.

"Okay. About _what_ exactly?"

_Thor above, does _everyone_ girl know when I've been thinking about them?_

"We…uh, decided that once we arrive…I should scout out the area around the village, and I need a partner…and she argued that I should take you." I started to speed up my words slightly as I figured out what I was going to say, so the last part almost sounded eager and _normal_.

"Uh-huh. Okay, I'm in."

"Just like that?"

"What, did you think I was going to turn you down?"

_Gods, I hope not._

"…n-no. Just making sure."

_^*You're so cute when you try to talk to girls. It's so fun to watch you struggle!*^_

_^Shut up…^_

We arrived at Berk just before the sun rose, and we flew in from the west side so if it did rise we would be hidden by Berk's shadow. I directed everyone to a large clearing near a stream of the far side of the island, one that no one had any reason to go to. Once word spread that we were spending the whole day and night here, everyone tried to settle in and get comfortable.

I had Stormfly fly Heather and I to Toothless' old cove, then drop us off. Stormfly decided to stay there, and Heather and I began our 'scouting' mission. Apparently we had flown in earlier than expected, because the sun still had not risen or shown any signs of rising. We stalked through the woods before we made it to the edge of the tree line and could see the village.

We climbed a tree, and got comfortable as we watched the eerily quiet village. No one was moving about or working early, which was odd; as long as my dad had ran the village, if no one else started early, he always would. Typically, he would get Gobber up on his way out, and Gobber would wake _everyone_ else up with his work in the forge. It was an efficient way to get your people moving if you ask me. Now, no one was up save for the watchmen that I assume were starting to doze off by now; dragon attacks rarely ever happened this late into the morning, so most watchers slept about now.

"So, this is it, huh? Your home?" Heather asked, barely lowering her voice enough to be considered a whisper. It wouldn't have mattered: no one seemed up to hear it.

I pulled back my mask and rested it on my head before replying. While a simple gesture that showed I was comfortable around someone, it wasn't something I did often and Heather seemed to appreciate that fact.

"Not in the slightest bit."

She seemed taken back by my answer. I don't blame her; it's an odd thing to hear.

"Not at all? But didn't you grow up here?"

"Well, yea, I grew up here. It's never been my home; this place always sucked."

"How can you say it sucked? They _raised _you! Who gave you the right to judge them?"

Heather seemed a bit upset with me now, as if I had insulted _her_ somehow. Knowing my luck, I probably _did_.

"They fed me, clothed me, and sheltered me. They did not raise me. This village and I have been at odds for years…"

"Years?"

"Yea. Until I met Toothless, it was miserable but it was all I'd ever known so I was comfortable. After I, uh, _acquainted_ myself with Mr. Grouchy Pants, it was hell. I realized how _bad_ it had been, and I began to resist in every way I could. Then things just kinda escalated and then…yea."

"What did they think of Toothless then?"

"When they met 'Fin' they were petrified. Other than that, they don't know of him or what's become of me…"

"You didn't tell them?"

"Nope, just left!"

Before she could reply, Astrid walked out from around a corner and into the woods. She never even glanced our way, but from the determined look on her face (and the axe I once made for her tightly in her grip) I figured she was off to train or blow steam. Either way, it opened my eyes to something: things were going well with Heather until part-way through I got slightly distracted and let the conversation tail off. Seeing Astrid again made me realize what I was distracted: I had been comparing Heather to Astrid, and she seemed almost a copy. Same demeanor, same lethalness, same in-dignified outburst; it wasn't just Heather I had compared, I had done the same thing to Cami and it had caused me to slip up.

It had nothing to do with the girl, it was me: I can't get over a _crush_. I'm still too hung up on Astrid, even though things ended awfully. Or maybe that's one of the reasons; that it ended so badly that I can't get over it.

"I'm sorry about all this Heather. Stormfly set this up so we would hit it off, but…I don't think that I'm right for anyone right now…"

"Yea, I kinda figured that the whole 'scout' thing was bull when we decided to sit in a tree and _watch the sunrise…_"

Oh, yea. _That's_ why I picked this tree. I knew there was a reason.

"We should probably get back then…"

We hopped down and made sure to avoid Astrid's tracks on the trek back to the Cove. Stormfly was eagerly waiting, and chirped at our arrival.

_^*So how'd it go?*^_

_^She's too much like Astrid; she reminded me of Astrid, and I realized that…I can't get over her…^_

Yup. 0-2 in the dating department…hey, at least that's 2 more tries than I thought I would ever have…

K

Final checks, final checks…let's see, all boats set up their equipment well away from the point of attack. Gronkle squad found large boulders…good, we need them to break open the side of the mountain…diversion groups seem to be ready, Nadder squad is on stand-by…I think we're ready.

_^Alright bud, that's everything. You ready for this?^_

_*Me? Oh yea, we only about to crack open a mountain and release our doom. Why wouldn't I be ready?*_

_^That's what I thought…^_

I mounted Toothless, and signaled to the Gronkle squad to prepare for my order.

_*You aren't going to give some great speech that will forever cement 'Fin' as a war hero?*_

_^Nah. I'm going to kill a fire-breathing mountain. If that doesn't do the trick…^_

_*Whatever flies your fins…*_

Toothless and I shot up, and made a lazy loop before heading back at the side of the wall. We determined that this is where the wall was thinnest, and it leads to an opening where most of the dragons inside sleep. Attacking here will allow us to quickly release these dragons which will dwindle down the Queen's army significantly. Once she loses most of her army, she should release them all and attack us herself.

_^Remember, you gotta use one shot on the wall, so that's one less plasma-blast for the actual thing.^_

_*Yea, yea. I got it. My shot limit has been fluctuating recently, and I've made sure to eat _really_ well leading up to this…I should be near maximum potential today…*_

_^Good. Those storm-clouds are still a good 15 minutes out, so we'll need to last that long. The Skrill is charged, but having that storm here would help significantly. Rain would be nice too…kinda dampen the fires…^_

_*Shut up, here we go!*_

Toothless folded in, and aimed straight for the side of the mountain. For 10 seconds, Toothless whistle built up until it was nearly all anyone could hear, before the sounded shifted into a powerful shot and a deafening thud as the blast collided with the wall. Rocks tumbled and the wall took a direct hit as Toothless and I veered off to safety.

I signaled to the Gronkle squad to begin breaking through the wall, but before they could even start the Screaming Death popped out from INSIDE the nest, in the exact spot where we were about to break through.

_^*Thank me later, Hiccup! Just know that SHE is pissed and has lost control of her army during her rage!*^_

_*…so you were seriously going to break down a _mountain_ by having Gronkles bash the side with rocks, all the while having THAT guy just sitting on the sidelines?*_

_^…uh, yea.^_

_*DID YOU EVEN _PLAN _THIS WHOLE ATTACK?!*_

_^Well, I mean, I did, but…^_

Toothless dropped the issues as thousands of dragons poured out of the rock, flying off in every direction. There was silence for a few seconds after all the dragons had left. The kind of eerie silence that comes before a storm. Or a hurricane…

An ear-splitting roar, one that almost sounded prehistoric, rang out from the belly of the mountain and almost seemed to push its way outside. To everyone else, the roar was devastatingly loud and scary. To Toothless, the Skrill, the Screaming Death, and me, it was the mental voice that forced its way into our heads that chilled our bones…

**WHO **_**DARES**_** TO USERP MY AUTHORITY!?...OH, IF IT ISN'T THE LITTLE HUMAN AND HIS PET NIGHT FURY. I SEE YOU HAVE MADE SOME FRIENDS…WHY DON'T **_**I**_** COME OUT AND PLAY?**

Unfortunately, that was a redundant question. Toothless glided down to a tall rock formation sticking out of the water just beyond the shore, front and center to the hole in the wall. The mountain shook and crumbled as the Queen forced her way outside, and took her first steps out of the mountain in what was likely decades (maybe centuries).

She walked out onto the beach (nearly as long as the beach, may I add) and stopped, staring straight at us. No words were spoken, but everyone knew what was going on: we both knew that Toothless and I were the leaders, and we both sized each other up.

_Let's see…six eyes, but large nostrils: gonna need to blind, concuss, AND scent mask…thick hide, may take more work than we thought…spiked tail, can probably break through anything, but agility and speed are lacking…_

I slowly raised my hand, and the Queen didn't break eye contact with me, nor I her. I knew without looking that my squads were in place, and the moment my arm dropped that all hell would break loose. I only hoped that we were prepared enough, but some things can't be prepared for.

I dropped my hand.

Toothless jumped back and began circling high in the sky. We would intervene when necessary, but we served as an omnipresent threat that would take the Queen's focus off of my squads.

Heather led half of the Nadder squad, the 'marksmen' squad, in a dive from straight behind the Queen. The Nadders split into two groups, the first one buzzing her head to draw her gaze, and the second group shooting spikes at 4 of her 6 eyes. The shots needed to be simultaneous and as many to hit their mark as possible: we needed those back four eyes _completely_ useless and her hearing scattered in order to execute our master plan…

Nearly 90% of the spikes hit her eye, exceeding our bottom-line of 60% easily. The Queen howled in pain and threw her head back. This allowed our small Changewing squad, who had been blending in with the remnant of the mountain behind the Queen, to fly straight to the wounded eyes and pour their acid in. If the Queen hadn't been angry before, NOW she was.

With both the marksmen squad and the Changewings clear, the Thunderdrums appeared from underneath the water in dramatic fashion and flew under her chin, then looped up over her head. The Queen had begun to recover her wits, and was snapping for all she was worth, so I order the Gronkle squad to assist in the distraction. The Thunderdrums began to let out their earsplitting roar in concentrated bursts that had the potential to burst ear drums or even kill people; I didn't think we were gonna get THAT lucky, though.

The Gronkles split into two squads, with both squads also leading dozens of extra rider-less Gronkles. The first squad had been on strict orders to eat sandstone for three days, and had mixed in different inks and dyes that I had stocked up on for this occasion. The Gronkles would fire clear glass fire-balls (I finally named that clear stuff) that usually had some colorful and distracting tint. These would shatter into millions of fragments on impact, and then the fire that had covered the glass-balls would cause the glass to sparkle. While this is not even close to dangerous to the Queen, it distracts the eyes extremely well, and since the Queen only has her front two eyes available, this is important.

Now, as the storm clouds began to roll in, the real plan began to start. I signaled to the second Nadder and Gronkle groups to begin, and Toothless and I climbed higher into the sky. As we flew, the Nadders grabbed a long Gronkle Iron spike with a flat top, basically a giant nail, and began to fly behind the Queen. She had just begun a long fire-blast, so her entire back half was still, making this an opportune time. The Nadders held the spike barely a foot away from the Queen's back left leg joint, the Monstrous Nightmares appeared to heat the metal, and the Nadder held it against the Queen.

The next part took place within a second. Toothless and I had already begun our decent, with Toothless not whistling (for stealth purposes). We flew in behind a group of Gronkles, who all fired successive shots against the flat of the nail, driving it two feet deep into the leg joint and muscle. As soon as the last Queen shot hit, Toothless let out a blast from full speed that made our shot against the mountain look puny. The shot nailed the spike at least five more feet into the Queens leg; more than half of the nail was now buried into her back leg-socket.

The Queen HOLLERED in pain, and lashed out in her mental voice while screaming.

**HOW DARE YOU ATTACK ME!? I AM A RED DEATH, OF THE HIGHEST ORDER IN MIDGARD, AND THE LAST MATRIARCH OF THE ALPHAS! YOU THINK YOU CAN USURP MY PLACE IN THE ORDER!? I WILL END ALL YOU HOLD DEAR!**

We weren't done. If she wasn't pissed, she was about to be.

From within the storm clouds, masses of lightning began to light up the sky. The lightning centralized above the Red Death, and as it did this Toothless and I flew back up to the sky and the squads prepared to drive another spike. The Nadders held the spike, the Nightmares heated it, and the Gronkles pounded it in as Toothless and I repeated our performance and drove the nail in as far as possible, this time into the Queen's front left leg joint. The Queen could still balance, but her mobility was severely limited and she could barely use her left side at all.

We took even that from her. Once we were all clear, the Skrill appeared from the clouds above the Red Death, screaming for his vengeance.

_^*I KNOW THAT YOU REMEMBER ME! YOU SENT ME TO DIE! THE TIDES HAVE _TURNED_, BITCH-ASS EEL!*^_

Normally, I would have been really distracted by the fact that _anyone_ just got called a 'bitch-ass eel,' which is one of the greatest improvised insults to a dragon I've ever heard.

Instead, I watched the massive bolts of lightning shot from the Skrill. The electricity flowed around the Skrill in a devastatingly-beautiful manner, and two thick white bolts shot down at the Queen. The bolts struck the Gronkle Iron nails, and paralyzed any muscles that it touched instantly. I designed the nails specifically to splinter into separate shafts after a certain point, so that the current would be distributed to even more of the Queen's muscle mass.

The effect was instantaneous. The Red Death's entire left side went completely stiff and fully pushed out, causing the Red Death to appear to 'tip toe' on the left side and lean to the right. When the Queen went to correct herself and push back to the left, her left side couldn't catch the body and she tumbled over…straight onto the third spike. This spike had been snuck underground by the Whispering Deaths, and then placed in her fall path at the last minute (there was a spike on the other side in case she fell that way).

The Queen was now paralyzed, on her side, and had a massive spear-hole going between her ribs. She would likely die, but it was time to put her out of her misery. The Nadder set up one final spike, and the back of her neck, and angled it to take out the brain stem and possibly continue into the brain. This would certainly kill her, especially once we zapped her again.

As the Nadders set up the spike and the Gronkles drilled it in, they hit a hard spot that they couldn't power through on their own. They all looked to us (Toothless and I, that is), and I reached down to pat the side of Toothless' head.

_^It's time to finish this, bud.^_

Toothless looked back, and our eyes met. We shared a feeling in that moment, one that was solemn and determined; one that said that it was finally time to finish a long quest.

We climbed in the sky for what felt like an eternity. The fact that the Queen had realized she was done for and began spewing whatever she could think of didn't help that.

**YOU THINK THAT THIS IS WORTH IT?! IF YOU BELIEVE FOR ONE MOMENT THAT FULFULLING THE PROPHECY WILL EVER DO YOU GOOD, THEN YOU ARE TRULY AS NAÏVE AS YOU SEEM!**

We slowly turned back towards the Queen.

**YOU'LL REGRET EVER GOING DOWN THIS PATH! YOU CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT IT WILL DO TO YOU! CREATING THE ORDER AS FORETOLD WILL CAUSE YOU MORE PAIN THAN YOU CAN FATHOM!**

And we began our decent, with Toothless whistle building much higher and louder than ever before. As we closed in, the Queen went silent, presumably to accept her fate with even the slightest shed of dignity. _Huh. "Fin's" plan made her accept her "Fate." Isn't that ironic…_

She hadn't merely accepted her fate. Toothless fired the largest plasma blast I had ever seen, and had begun his swoop back up towards the sky before it ever landed. With our backs to the Queen, the bolt struck and the Queen was put through excruciating pain.

_**IF! I! DIE! YOU! WILL! DIE! WITH! ME!**_

The queen channeled all of her strength and will into that one mental scream, and it was so powerful that it pierced your mind. I instinctively curled up, as did Toothless. Because of this, I fell off his back as he stopped climbing. In midair, as we began our decent back down above the rocky beach, we were both curled up in pain trying (in vain) to cover our ears.

Fortunately, the Skrill had been prepared for this and shot a bolt that fried whatever was left of her brain. This stopped her attack, but didn't undo the pain caused or the fact that we were both freefalling without each other, and only one of us can survive a fall like this.

We started nearing the ground, with Toothless having recovered his wits and trying with everything that he is to try to catch up with me. We were about two seconds from impact, when my world began to fade as my mind prepared itself for what was coming.

The last thing I remember while air born before fully blacking out was a sickening _crunch_ coming from around my left leg. There was only an instant where I felt pain in my leg before my vision went black.


	13. Completion Bonus!

Exodus and Return-us

Chapter 13

Toothless' POV

Ugh. That landing hurt. Now, my head is ringing from the Queen's last attack and the force of the impact from falling. I barely made it to Hiccup in time, so I had to just wrap myself around him and keep him safe as we crashed. I've checked a few times to ensure he was still breathing (and I can feel his heartbeat, which _really_ comforts me) so I am not too worried about us dying.

I felt someone place a hand on my head and rub gently, and I cracked my eyes open in order to see who it was. Cami was kneeling down, looking at me with an extremely worried expression; she might have even been on the edge of a breakdown. Hiccup was already beginning to stir, so I slowly unfurled my wings.

As I looked around, I noticed everyone that came with us was watching plus a lot of dragons that I hadn't seen before. There was a great variety, but it was mostly Zipplebacks, Nadders, and Nightmares. They all watched from a distance or kept their heads low, but they hung around for some reason.

Once I had revealed Hiccup, instantly Cami and Thuggory were right at his side checking to see if he was okay. However, they stepped _all over_ my wings in order to get to him. I mean, they could have at least had the decency to tread lightly, but nooooo, they have to stomp over to him.

_*Thanks for trodding on the Dragon who saved him!*_ I huffed out. _Slimy eels, that's exactly something Hiccup would say right about now…so he gets faster and stronger and I descend to his level of sarcasm?_

_^Oh come on, you'll be fine you big baby…^_

_*Your awake? Why aren't you up and moving?*_

_^I was _really_ comfy. And maybe now I'll get lucky and they'll leave me to rest…^_

_*This is Cami and Thug we're talking about. Fat chance of that…*_

I closed my eyes and laid my head down, hoping that the commotion would die down soon enough. I mean, sure it does look scary when neither of us will stay awake or respond after a fall like that, but that's no reason to be _this _persistent? Oh, who am I kidding, of course it is…

"By Loki's twisted balls, what happened to his leg?" Thuggory exclaimed. I shot right up to look.

_*Oh yea, I may have caught you by the leg…with my teeth…*_

_^Is THAT what that pain was?!^_

_*Yea. That crunch still makes my stomach queasy…*_

_^CRUNCH!?^_

Hiccup hadn't looked up yet, but now he shot up into a sitting position to look at his leg. He wore a panicked look, but calmed down after a few seconds. Eventually, he got his erratic breathing under control and lay back down with a long, relieved sigh.

_^Okay, okay. I'm fine. Nothing's wrong, there are just really deep bite marks in my shin guard…^_

_*Told you to wear the full shin guard. If you made those stupid half-guards, I would _still_ have the taste of your leg in my mouth…and you would have a hobble.*_

Now that Hiccup revealed himself as awake, Cami and Thug were right back at him with an array of questions. Some were related to his health, and some were just things that were to important or shocking to wait on.

_^Okay, you were right. Your shin guard choice saved my leg. From now on, I will factor in you trying to _eat me_ into my armor crafting decisions…^_

^*_Sorry to interrupt your little heart-to-heart, but now that she is dead, I've recovered my memory…and there is something very important left for you two to do.*^_

_^What is it, Skrill?^_

_^*Claim your prize. Long ago, when one of the alpha or beta species of dragons died, the successor (the killer or next in line) would claim her essence. It is based in a magic ordained by Asgard, and empowers the recipient much the way that your bond works…by killing her, you earn her power.*^_

_*What kind of power are we talking?*_

_^*I've kinda been on ice for a while, but I'm pretty certain that each time you kill a certain species, you get a new power from them. The first time, you gain many of their key physical traits, so the Queen would grant both of you increased strength, toughness, thicker skin, and likely fire/heat resistance.*^_

_^You mean we get _powers_ from killing her? Wouldn't that have led to wars between all of these dragons?^_

_^*I think it did, long ago… I can take you to one who lived through the wars, and he can explain anything you need to know. That is our next stop, after you claim her power.*^_

Hiccup nodded, and slowly started to get up. Once he was up, I did the same. We were both a little tired and a little banged up, but other than that we were fine. As we stood up and walked together towards the king, the crowd watching erupted into cheers and fire shot towards the sky. Everyone was smiling and happyexcept for us (and the Skrill, who was smirking as he watched us…)

As we walked towards the Queen's body with solemn expressions, the crowd died down. Hiccup never left my side, and I never left his. I felt as if we were walking each other to our own executions, and I didn't like that feeling at all.

_^So how do we do this?^_

_^*However you wish to show the world you claim the prize. You don't have to touch her or do any ritual, you just need to do something that shows everyone here that this is your handiwork.*^_

_*I've got an idea. Hop on my back and get that new spear-staff ready.*_

Hiccup hopped up and did as told. The closer we got to the dead head, the less this felt like an execution. I felt a surge of power and pride build up inside of me, and every step I took made it grow. I could feel the power building in my chest, and I could even feel it building inside of Hiccup's body. I was even pretty sure that we were thinking the same things.

We reached the front of the Queen's body, which was still lying sideways, and I jumped on top of her massive lower jaw. It gave me firm footing and allowed us both to be seen by everyone, so I stood at the very edge with an arc back, allowing Hiccup to be seen on top of me with his staff still held out to the side.

Hiccup help the staff up, and then threw it down into the ground in front of us, with a spike popping out of the bottom end to cause it to stick straight up. Hiccup also hit a button as he released the spike that caused the staff to release Zippleback gas from the top, and I let out a fireball in sync with Hiccup's throw. The fireball went up into the sky and exploded, and Hiccup's staff went down in front of me, cutting through the fireball, and ended up coated in flames sustained by the gas.

I arched by back as high as I could go, and Hiccup sat up as tall as he could. We both braced for a second, before I let out the loudest roar I have ever mustered. As I did so, Hiccup and I were both assaulted by an unknown force. It was as if, only while I roared, a fire was burning in our veins. Every part of my body felt like it was on fire from the inside, yet the pain did not seem unbearable. When I finished my roar, I opened my eyes (because proper form of a victory roar dictates that your eyes close) to scan the crowd.

I saw many unexpected emotions on the faces before us, both human and dragon. I expected to see contempt, joy, pride, and other things you would expect from a victorious army. Instead, I saw mostly shock, surprise, awe, and wonder, as if Hiccup and I were the most powerful and incredible thing they had seen that day.

Neither Hiccup nor I had known it, but while the burning pain forced our eyes shut, all along my spine glowed orange-red, and Hiccup's eyes matched to boot.

(Hiccup's POV)

_^Are you SURE that this is the place? I'm passing up on the feast of a lifetime to come here! It's not every day that you kill a Red Death, you know…^_

_^*Yes, this is the place. Can you not feel it?*^_

Instead of answering, I focused on my surroundings. We had flown for a day and a half due southwest, and the Skrill had led us to this large island. Further north, the island was almost completely barren and frozen, but here on the southern part there was some vegetation.

We currently stood on a beach, looking to a mountain in front of us. It was considerably tall, and was completely covered in ice. In some spots near the top, the ice formed large shards that must have taken years to accumulate…or this could have been the battlefield where Odin slew the Ice Giants. Either way, what stood before us was big and cold, and we weren't prepared to go on an ice expedition.

**Come inside, young Rider. You have much to hear, and I fear you do not have much time to listen…**

_*What was that?*_

_^*THAT would be him. I guess he was expecting us…*^_

I leaned forward on Toothless, and we took off for the mountain. I started to scan the area, but could not find where the voice seemed to have come from.

**I am inside. Fly to the top and then come down. **

_*Am I the only one who is freaked out by this?*_

_^*Don't be. There will be plenty to panic about in the future, I'm sure…*^_

_^Somehow that doesn't fill me with confidence…^_

We did as we were told and flew to the top of the mountain. Surely enough, there was an opening that led down into the mountain, much like the top of the Red Death's nest. Inside was hollow, and the walls were entirely made out of ice, not just the top. We spiraled down and saw much more vegetation growing inside that outside, and the further down we went the warmer it got. As we spiraled to the bottom, we noticed a small thing we missed earlier: a massive off-white dragon with huge tusks, just sitting there and watching us. This thing had to be bigger than the Red Death, but so far didn't seem hostile. I could only assume that this was the source of the voice.

**Ah, a Skrill. It has been many years since I have seen any of your kind.**

_^*I have been frozen in ice for years, but I know not for how long. The last breathing Red Death broke her treaty just in time to overwhelm me…*^_

**I heard. And you two, Hiccup and Toothless. You are quite an odd match, but I am extremely glad to finally meet you. I am a fan of your work.**

_^A fan of our work? How?^_

**I…am very old. I have lived over a millennium, and have seen many things. In my later life, Odin has blessed me with visions of the future: both what could have happened and what will happen. That is why I know you…**

_*So you know our future... is no one else creeped out by this?*_

_^Calm down, this could help us. So, uh, _sir_, why are we here?^_

**I am going to be attacked before the night is up, by one of my own kind. I sent away all that are under my care. I need to speak with you two as much as I can before anything happens. You see, I am the only being on Midgard left that lived through the age of the Dragon Riders…**

_^Dragon Riders? There were others?^_

**There once were many Riders, led and directed by the Alpha dragons—Bewilderbeasts like me, and Red Deaths—until the great wars. Alphas were unable to control dragons and their riders, and order eventually fell apart. Sides were chosen, leaders followed, and a great war killed all dragon riders… The end came about because Alphas are not suited to lead Riders, only dragons. That is where you come in.**

_^Me?^_

_*What about me?*_

'**You' as in plural. Both of you are destined to change the world. You are already ordained to reestablish the Dragon Riders throughout the world. By claiming the power of the Red Death, you know have the first things you will need to establish and Order.**

_^An Order? Of Dragon Riders?^_

**Yes. Exactly. Whenever you go, you must teach those there to Ride. Help people form bonds, and you job will be much easier. Most places you go, there will be one person who bonds more strongly than others, sometimes so strong as to allow them to mind-speak with their dragon. These people must belong to the order as the head Rider of their homes. In large villages there may be more than one, so they shall all lead. You need to ENSURE that they understand they are to be loyal to the Order over all else.**

_*You mean only a few can speak with their Dragons? What about us, we can speak and Hiccup is even gaining skills from me.*_

**That is because some dragons are special. There are some species that are rare and powerful, such as Skrills, and whoever they bond with will share special abilities. Anyone bonded to such a dragon will belong to the Council. It will take a long time for these dragons to find their matches, so be patient. You need six Riders to have a Council, and the first six will go somewhat quickly so that you can establish the Order, but after that it may take years, even decades in between.**

_^So the Council is the head of the Order. Everyone who rides a dragon does not have to be loyal to the order unless they have a special bond. The Council is the highest part, and from there it goes by who has the strongest bonds. Am I missing anything?^_

**That seems to be a firm grasp of the concept. **

_*So what are the special dragon types?*_

**It figures you would ask that, Toothless. They are Skrills, Boneknappers, Rumblehorns, and Stormcutters. There are Riders for a Rumblehorn and Stormcutter already, they just need to know of the Order.**

_^So…No Night Furies?^_

Toothless looked as if someone had stabbed him in the heart. He expected that he would be honored as one the top dragons, and now looked like he had seen an eel in his reflection…

**No. You two are special. In return for you services, Odin will bless you both with life and youth indefinitely until Ragnarök. Your job will be to establish the Order, and once that is over, watch over it. You will have no responsibilities other than that, no strings attached, and you are not required to join the Council. Eventually, you will fade to legend, even in the minds of those on the Council…all those on the Council will live longer lives than normal, but yours will last for ages.**

_^So we are going to outlive everyone?^_

**Yes. Your bond is special, like no other bond can ever be. Odin and Thor are entrusting the dragons to you. **

^_Wow. I…I'm not sure how to respond. I mean, yea, living forever sounds pretty nice, but won't it suck to watch everyone I know die? And I am responsible for all of the dragons and their riders?^_

_*Yes, that seems to be everything he just said.*_

I cut Toothless a quick glare, and he gave me an innocent gummy grin.

_^But…just…I don't understand…uh, well… WHY ME?^_

The question hung in the air. Toothless perked up and little, probably wondering the same thing. The Bewilderbeast in front of me waiting to answer the question until we both made full eye contact.

**Because Odin tests his heroes. **

Before anything else could transpire, the one of the side walls began to crumble and a loud roar was heard from outside. Two massive tusks began crashing through the wall, and the Bewilderbeast was soon on his feet charging to meet the intruder.

**The time has come for the age of the Alphas to end. I hope you are ready for this, Hiccup. Toothless, you too.**

The Bewilderbeast charged outside the new hole in the wall and soon disappeared from sight. We could easily hear the battle, though; tusks colliding as high speeds made for jarring impacts even away from the battle.

_^We should go help.^_

_*No dip. Hop on!*_

We shot up and out through the top to survey the battle. There was another Bewilderbeast, with a slightly darker color, engaged with our Bewilderbeast. It was starting to win. By the time Toothless and I could even begin to plot out an attack pattern, the dark Beast had gotten underneath our Beast's tusks and landed a strong puncture into the stomach area of our Beast.

Toothless and I dove without any hesitation, with Toothless performing his whistle, and blasted the side of the Beast's head lightly. It really didn't do any damage, but it took the dark Beast's attention and allowed out Beast to back out. However, the dark Beast went right back at it and gained ground quickly.

_^We've got to make another distraction. He can't last long with that wound…^_

We waited until both dragons' tusked were interlocked before diving again. This time, Toothless built up a much larger blast and we swooped down above the ground. Instead of diving from above, this time we were going to use our momentum to whip an upwards shot. Our Beast saw us coming, and pushed the tusk-lock up and to the side at an odd angle. This left the back of the neck on the dark Beast exposed, and Toothless took his shot.

As the shot landed, we heard a sickening combination of a crunch and a snap, and the dark Beast slumped over dead on the spot. Our Beast had positioned the dark Beast so that our shot would break the neck due to the odd angle of the blast. Our victory was short lived when we landed to find our Beast keeled over on his side.

**It is too late young ones. This wound is too deep for me to be saved. There is only one thing you can do.**

Toothless and I looked the dying Bewilderbeast in the eyes, and waited for him to continue.

**You must claim both of us. You haven't yet discovered the full usefulness of claiming the Red Death, but claim two Bewilderbeasts will grant you a power you can't really imagine…do it, and know that I will be with you.**

And that was it. Just like that, there were two more dead behemoths. Neither of us had a chance to say anything, no goodbyes or thank you's. Just two dead Beasts just like that.

I looked at Toothless, and he met my eyes as if to understand what had to be done. This time, claiming a prize was solemn and sad. Instead of planting a flaming spear, I mounted Toothless and we stood between the bodies. We just sat there in silence for a few moments, before Toothless stood up and let out a roar. Like before, there was a pain that accompanied the roar; this time, though, the roar was sadder and pained and only added to the pain that flowed throughout our bodies.

Instead of feeling fire flowing throughout my body, this time it felt like my blood was so cold that it _burned_. It seemed as if ice flowed throughout my body, and it made chills run down my spine at a pace so rapid that my breath hitched.

When Toothless was done, we both opened our eyes and looked around. Nothing else seemed to change, except for the 4-winged dragon and the Rider on its back that stood in front of us. And they didn't seem friendly, if the snarl and outstretched staff were anything to go by…

Author's Note: This chapter is a little bit shorter, but this one is really crucial as far as the plot for this story (and possible sequels) goes. And yes, I finished it in time for Christmas. Like always, leave your comments. The core of the story is starting to expose, so I would love to hear any thoughts you have.


	14. Make Out Like A Bandit

Exodus and Return-us

Chapter 14

Hiccup's POV

After the encounters with the last Alphas, Toothless and I tried to return to somewhat of a normal routine. "Normal" is a strong term for a pair as odd as us, but we tried anyways. After the battle with the Red Death, dragon raids across the Archipelago stopped, just like we anticipated. What we did not foresee was that all of the Red Death's dragons would want to follow Toothless and I. Either they were grateful that we had freed them, or didn't know how to be free; either way, Toothless and I decided that we should take charge and ensure every dragon a better life than they had before.

It became obvious that the Sanctuary, as big as it was, was not nearly large enough for all of the dragons of the Archipelago. Instead, I sent out scouts to look for other abandoned nests, just like the Sanctuary was before we renovated it. Some of the very old dragons had recollections of other nests that struggled against the Red Death centuries ago; most dragons just simply flew out where I sent them to look for anything.

Eventually, we found around 11 more nests, spread out somewhat evenly. Most were within half a day's flight to a village, so wherever Toothless and I went there was always a safe zone if we found any trouble. Which we did, more than once, but nothing too major. Just a few misunderstandings about dragons, mostly.

I planned to have a mix of all dragon types at each nest, but Toothless and the Skrill recommended that we let the dragons vote on it. They feared that some species would only want to nest with others of the same species, which I had absolutely no clue about. However, after the vote, the dragons all decided that since they had all been together for so long, it would be easier to nest in large, mixed groups. We got everyone sorted out (not easy, organizing thousands of dragons from across the sea) and eventually everyone got settled in. I helped appoint some of the older and wiser dragons to oversee the nests in case there were any small problems, and told everyone that large issues could be brought to Toothless and me.

And just like that, I had thousands of dragons looking to me for leadership, and I'm not even close to being 20 yet. So much for the Runt of Berk, huh?

After all of the nest issues had been sorted and handled, Toothless and I focused on traveling around and trading with the rest of the tribes. There were still some tribes we hadn't traded with, and I hadn't gotten to work in the forge in a decent amount of time. I spent a week building all sorts of things, from hanging wall decorations made from dragon scales to detailed Gronkle Iron daggers to specialty shields and swords. We packed up everything our ship could carry, and set sail for the tribe we hadn't met.

Things went well with the first two tribes we went to. Made a lot of money selling items, acquired a lot of interesting traded items (such as a strange, curved sword originally from the far south), and made strong impressions on the tribes. Both tribes already had knowledge of my dragons (apparently Thug went around bragging about the Red Death) and were eager not to anger me, but they weren't quite willing to train dragons themselves.

The third and last tribe I went to was interesting though. Aside from the Berserkers, this was the last tribe I hadn't visited yet. They didn't actually have an official clan (they had been quarreling about it for years, just like true Vikings) but everyone called them the Rich clan. They lived next to three mountains filled with gold and gems, and they used their Viking strength to mine unbelievable amounts of wealth. While most villages would depend on bartering and trading items, I expected everyone here to be able to pay in gold. Part of the tribe's wealth comes from its position; they are the closest to the southern world, and often receive ships from the south for trading. There are even rumors that they have traded directly with the Romans before.

When I arrived, I was enthusiastically greeted by the Chief, Igoen the Silverfist. His family had a rich tradition of being great fighters, extremely wealthy, and possessing a fair amount of flair and showmanship. His great grandfather, Iglee the Golden, started his family's tradition by flaunting his wealth in the face of his enemies. He paid an exorbitant sum to have a beautiful, gold-inlayed set of armor built. His helmet was completely coated in a golden layer, and he led his people to the great wealth they are known for now. Every one of his decedents have their own spin on the tradition, and Igoen's are Silver-coated gauntlets, hence the name "Silverfist."

As I sailed into port, the Chief was already waiting on me at the docks. This was either really good, or really bad; that being said, I made sure that I was armed either way. We pulled into docks, and I called out my customary greeting.

"I... am Fin. I request peaceful trade with your village. I have a few items here that cannot be matched, if I do say so myself."

Igoen answered me very eagerly, and it caught me off-guard.

"FIN THE NIGHT-RIDER! We have anticipated a visit from you ever since Thuggory stopped by to visit! May I come up? I would like to give you a gift of goodwill, to show you that you are welcome!"

That definitely through me off, but my trusty mask hid my obvious surprise.

"Most certainly, come on up. I have a gift for you as well, for the same reason."

As he walked up the plank onto the boat, I got a good look at him. He was dressed richly, with his famous gauntlets, but not too richly. He didn't outshine anyone in the crowd with his wealth, and that lead me to think he was somewhat of a humble man… at least as humble as someone as rich as he is could be. He walked up, and I noticed he was just slightly taller than me, and had a very full build. A slight tummy-bulge from a life at ease, but he also showed a great strength to make up for it. He had a dark brown beard and hair that bordered on black, but he was mostly bald on top of his head. He had hair on the side, but a shiny head on top. His beard was braided only half way up, and braided with gold and silver accessories.

"Now Fin, if it is alright, I would like to meet the one called Fate… the Night Fury. My village has no love for dragons, but we live so far south that we have only had three raids in as many years. The people aren't immediately ready to try training them, but we have nothing against them. You are free to bring Fate throughout the village, assuming he is decently behaved."

Before I could even tell Toothless to come out (or even tell him what was going on), the secret hatch popped open and out bounded 'Fate' the Night Fury.

"Well, it looks like he doesn't have to be told twice. Fate…this is Igoen the Silverfist, Chief of this establishment."

Toothless had bounded over to me and curled around me (not defensively, just somewhat possessively), and crooned quietly at Igoen. Igoen backed up just slightly, and looked at Toothless before returning to me.

"Odin's beard, if that isn't a Night Fury. I must say, I am quite impressed. Now, I believe I have a gift for you…"

He handed me a somewhat fancy purple bag, somewhat small, but something that would typically hold gold or special trinkets. I took the bag but did not open it yet, and walked Igoen into my quarters. I had learned to move the special Gronkle Iron weapons intended as gifts for leaders into my quarters to keep them safe and display them. I currently had 9 special weapons left, all sitting on a table that was covered in a special red felt cloth.

"And here is your gift. Look them over, and take the one that suits you best. If need be, I can modify it to suit you better as long as I can borrow the forge for a little while."

"By my Silver gloves, what are these made of? They shimmer unlike anything I have seen!"

All of my newer gift-weapons had been finished off with fire mixed with Skrill lightning, which gave the blades a special bright sheen that only added to the beauty of the weapons.

"Ah, it is a special iron I discovered myself. That particular shine comes from the great Skrill itself."

_*Wow, you sound SO humble there. What's next, are you going to refer to yourself in third person?*_

_^YOU DID THAT LAST WEEK! YOU CALLED YOURSELF "THE NIGHT" FOR OVER TWO DAYS!^_

_*Yes, but I have the blood right to be arrogant…*_

"Is that so? While I look, go ahead and open your gift. I oversaw the selection myself…"

I nodded, and opened the pouch as he went back to the weapons. I poured out the contents into my palm, and found three beautiful gems laying there. There was one ruby, cut into a long rectangle-like shape; one sapphire, cut to have 8 sides all the way around, and one Onyx, cut into an extremely smooth, perfectly round circle. I sat there admiring the quality for a moment, before Igoen notice my stare.

"Mighty fine gems those are. Good ole' Thug was drunk (we all were, but he made a sport of it) and telling all of the stories he had of you. The ruby is for the whole Red Death story, because something like that doesn't really just happen very often. The Sapphire goes with the story of the time you easily beat Thug and a few other warriors and your eyes "glowed blue" or whatever… Thug was in hysterics when he told us that. You've made quite an impression on him…"

I chuckled when he mentioned that fight with Thug. I've only had a few moments where my head was as clear as it was in that fight, and everyone told me my eyes were glowing blue under my mask… I've decided to just chalk that one up to Toothless as well…

"And what of the Onyx?"

"Aye, that's the real gift here. That's the rarest type of gem we have found, pitch black yet brilliantly colorful. It kinda messes with one's mind, lad. That's there to match the 'Pitch Black Cuddle Monster from Hell,' as Thug put it…"

I chuckled at the name, but Toothless gave a displeased grunt.

_*I feel as if I have some unfinished business with that man now…*_

_^Well, according to the Bewilderbeast, we will have a long time to sort it out…^_

_*What?...oh yea, he rides one of the special dragons…*_

_^Yup…^_

"It is remarkable. How are you finding the weapons?

"Well, I believe that this Spanish Rapier style fits me best. An elegant yet lethal weapon, and masterfully crafted. I am surprised that you even know of this style; it is quite a southern design…"

Well, Gobber once had this book of all of the sword styles around, both Viking and Southern, that I kinda borrowed when I left… and I still have it, although I recently traded for a much newer version. I just have to explain this without revealing my origins, if possible.

"Yes, I've seen the style before a few times. I stopped at the Blonde tribe, the information traders of the Archipelago, and traded for a thick volume full of weapon and armor styles from most known places. It's been really helpful…"

"Well, then I would encourage you to visit Brunnie. She's bound to have even more books for you, if you actually like that sort of thing…

Huh, I guess it figures that they would have books. Every other tribe has maybe like two or three…

"I will…do you know of anyone who would be willing to trade away two matching emeralds?"

"Aye, but that's not exactly something cheap. The blacksmith is a very large and wealthy man, Ger the Thick. It won't be hard to miss him. I suspect he will want to inspect all of your weapons…if you really want those emeralds, I would trade one of these beauties; he might bend over backward for weapons like these!"

Igoen laughed at his own joke, and I chuckled a little, but a plan started to formulate in my head: a ruby in the pommel of a new sword; a special new shield centered around a sapphire; a black chest-plate made to look like Toothless with emerald eyes; and a belt centered around an onyx.

Igoen took his new sword, and I stashed away my new gems, and I walked him off my ship. I told him to let the people know that I would be prepared to open up my ship in about 15 minutes, and he went off to let people know. Toothless helped me shift around some items, such as hiding away the items I have decided to keep. 10 minutes in, I had displays set up around the entire deck of my ship, and had my table ready. I had decided to take Cami's advice and do somewhat of an auction in the event that more than a few people wanted an item.

With a few minutes to spare, I opened up the ship and let people aboard…and was soon overrun with customers. For the next four hours, I was kept busy by dozens of people asking about how I got items or where they came from. I was correct that most people bought items with gold, but when people had quarrels trades and money came into play. One particular item that had everyone falling over themselves was a shield that was adorned with Nadder scales. The scales were a base-blue with a red pattern of two swords crossing each other; the item was functional and would look stunning just hanging from a wall. I had many, MANY offers for the shield, with each one escalating from the one before it: a small gold statue of Mjolnir, a gold-inlayed dagger, gold wristbands with small diamonds in them (that one was tempting). Eventually, I sold it to a lady in her 60's for the trade of 10 large books and a special golden arm-guard that had a compartment to hold a map, pen, and ink. Apparently, I had found Brunnie. The books were all about different trades, oceanographic content, or maps and information about the southern world; there was even my Volume of Weapons and Armors.

At the end of the day, there were few items that were left, and fewer still that no one had touched or held. I made away with a killing in gold, my books, and interesting trinkets and statues that I couldn't pass up. Just as most people had left, I noticed one of the last people standing there was the large blacksmith, looking over the remaining weapons (all two that hadn't sold). I had met him earlier when he bought smith's hammers I had made out of Gronkle Iron; I could attest that they made life as a smith MUCH easier.

I approached the Ger the Thick and told him that I had some rare 'specialty weapons' made from the same material as his hammers.

"Now, these normally aren't for sale; I typically reserve them as gifts to Chiefs, but I am willing to make an exception this time…"

He looked down at me to look me in the eyes and thought about it.

"…and what are you looking for in return?"

"Walk with me, and I will tell you…"

We started towards the cabin, and I showed him inside. I whistled once, and Toothless (who had been napping lightly) fired a shot towards the center of the room. It struck the brazier I had there and lit the wood on fire, illuminating the room.

"These are my remaining Gronkle Iron weapons, polished with the essence of the Skrill. I am looking for a matching pair of emeralds, brilliant but identical."

Ger never responded, but instead looked over the weapons with a twinkle in his eyes. I'm not even kidding, this guy was huge and his eyes sparkled as if he was a child receiving a new toy. He went straight for a blade of my own design, based off of the curved designs that I had only ever seen in books. In truth, it was two swords, with an extra thick pommel that split into two, creating two identical swords. The swords had a slight curve, coming to a point as the top. When combined, it made for a thick blade design that curved into a skinnier design as it went up, and led into a sharp point. The rest of the sword was just as beautiful and detailed as all of the other special weapons, but this design was uniquely my own.

"What sort of design is this? I've seen curved blades, but never on that could be combined."

"It…doesn't have a name, actually. I designed it myself, but it's a bit cumbersome for most people to wield, myself included…though I suspect you would have no problem…"

He looked at me with wide eyes and a bit of wonder, before looking back at the sword.

"Designed it yourself? Quite impressive, I will admit. The symmetry is perfectly on point; the swords are well balanced individually and even more so together. At the base, in the middle there is a gap where the curves do not allow the swords to touch. Was that intentional?"

I figured he would ask about that.

"Yes. Say an enemy lunges at you, you can catch their blade in that hole and with a twist of your wrist, either they lose their sword or it snaps their blade."

"Interesting…let's take this back to my shop. I have a pair of emeralds I've been holding for a long time that I think you might like…"

We went to his shop, and he disappeared into the back. The shop was well organized and had many of the southern tools that I had picked up from other tribes. I heard the sound of a stone safe opening (something that is rare and not cheap, I may add), and then he returned.

"These are not just emeralds, but they are priceless because of it…"

He handed me two emerald gems about half the size of Toothless' eyes. The gems were in an oval shape, with good width and decent height, but about as thin as my finger. What made the gems special where what lay inside of it: somehow, there were two round Onyx gems resting in the middle of the emeralds. The resemblance to Toothless eyes' was uncanny.

"Are you sure? These must be one of the most expensive things you own!"

"Indeed, they are priceless. They are only good for a trade, and this sword is worth it to me. Take them, they're yours now."

I looked at him, then the gems, then back to him. I found resolve within myself to tuck the gems away and shake his hand, before wishing him well and walking out. I made my way to my ship, stopping on my way to thank the Chief for his hospitality (and the dinner he had sent to me because I couldn't leave the ship unattended). The Chief gave me a hearty farewell, which included a small comment about how I was nothing like what Dagur had said. This definitely caught me ear.

"Dagur said what, exactly?"

"Oh, seems that with his new expanded armada he thinks that he owns the world. He's been going to every tribe telling awful stories of the murderous, maniacal dragon rider who forsook his own flesh and blood to travel with beasts. He's not swayed anyone yet, but I'm sure there are a few tribes that are leaning towards him…like Berk."

The moment I heard 'Berk,' I went into Fin Mode.

"Berk, huh? What's so special about them?"

"I assume you know that they live furthest north. Apparently, they've been experiencing terrible raids about once every one to two months for a while now. They don't take very kindly to dragons, and Dagur is certain to catch their interest with his tales…"

Oh great, that is just what I need. Dagur AND Berk against me…wouldn't that battle just suck?

"That's quite…troubling, actually. I suppose I need to have a little chat with Dagur sometime soon…"

Igoen laughed at my comment, but not in a mean or disrespectful manner. At least not towards _me_.

"Talk, huh? Unless it involves weapons, the only talk that will happen with him with be your swords having a heated discussion…"

_No statement has ever been truer, I bet_.

I again thanked the Chief for his hospitality, and made my way to my ship. I would have to drop off my new riches at the Sanctuary before flying out to the Berserkers.

One thing is for sure: I am NOT looking forward to 'talking' with Dagur.


	15. You Can Be In My Secret Club

Exodus and Return-us

Chapter 15

Author's Note: Alright guys, a few quick updates…I PANICKED when a few of y'all started wondering what happened with "the other rider" at the end of 13. That is, until I remembered that I left that unsolved until this chapter…really had me going though.

If this chapter's format/spelling seems off, it's because I am using my Surface Tablet to do it, and the attachable keyboard for this think is REALLY small compared to my big hands… UPDATED AN: The first scene is written with the tiny little keyboard. I recently bought a wireless mouse/keyboard combo that I really like (the keys just feel RIGHT) so the following scenes were written on that. Sure, it's a new keyboard so there may be some kinks, but I think this will make it easier for me to update and it will make it much more comfortable to write.

Anyways…

Hiccup's POV

_*"Fin's Journal Entry:_

_It's been a few days since I arrived back home after my successful trading excursions…ah, home; it's hard to believe that I can truly call something that now. Anyways, the riches of the last clan I visited must have rubbed off on me because I came back with gold and gems to spare. I let all the dragons who volunteered unpack the ship while I immediately began renovating my workspace… all new cushions, more tables and desks, all sorts of paper and ink, and new challenges unlike any I've had before._

_I mean sure, I've had some fancy armor and weapons, but those were accessories; THESE will be a part of Fin's persona, so I intend for them to look REALLY good…*_

_^HEY! Don't read that! I haven't finished that entry yet!^_

Of course, leave it to my girlfriend here to get into every little thing I do…at least Stormfly isn't here to help him (for now).

_*Ok, FIRST of all, you've been working on these for a solid week, not a few days; don't make yourself sound better in your own DIARY! Which reminds me of the second item…*_

I set my work down, and turned to face my accuser. I set the metal back near the fire to keep it warm and malleable for when I was done butting heads with Toothless; I needed this brace perfect, so I don't dare risk working with captain nosy around.

_^Call it what you want, don't criticize me for writing down_^_ my progress… who else is going to record the legends of the mighty Night Fury?^_

_*Oh, that was fast. Giving up AND stroking my ego that quickly? Whatever you're working on, it must me BIG… it's not a "stimulatory girlfriend" AGAIN, is it? Do we _really_ need to go over that again?*_

_^THAT'S NOT WHAT THAT WAS! But yes, since you seem so bent on interrupting me…^_

Toothless gave me a big eyed look (but also a knowing look; if he had eyebrows, he would have wiggled them like Gobber).

_*Oh, well okay then. Didn't think you'd admit to Faux-Astrid 2.0…just make the grip wider this time, we don't nee-*_

_^FOR FREYA'S SAKE! I MEANT THAT THIS IS BIG! NOT…_THAT!^

I still think he set me up that last time…but could he at least let me work on this? I mean, I've planned and planned and built prototypes and I think I've finally got myself a good shield and he comes here and talks about…well, mecho-GF's…

_*Good. I was afraid I would have to get Cami to help again…*_

Gods, I did NOT need that brought up again…that day was so embarrassing on SO many levels. I learned the hard way that idle hands are the devil's play thing…and iron-hands hurt like the devil on a play thi-nope, I am NOT GOING THERE.

*_So what is it? More importantly, how many more versions of it do you need to make?*_

I gave Toothless a flat look for his latter comment, but continued to answer his questions anyways. 'Cuz I'm gracious like that.\

_^It's part of a new shield design. This part goes on my left arm like a thick full-arm guard. I hit a switch, and two semi-circles pop out and spin into place (interlocking, mind you) until I've spun myself a shield. Should only take about half a second for it to work…^_

_*Gotcha…and you are actually putting the sapphire in this time?*_

Hey, he IS learning! Good for him.

_^Yea. This time its final, unless I screw it up because, oh, I don't know, a lethargic lizard lounged his lazy legs in my work station or would leave me alone…^_

_*Cool. I'll be quiet then.*_

Huh? Why would he just be quiet?

_^…o…kay…you wanna watch or something?^_

Toothless just widened his eyes and nodded his head enthusiastically. He almost looked like an adorable child or Terrible Terror. I remember him being like this a lot when we first met, though he doesn't act like this around too many people. I mean, he puts on a show when he meets new people, but usually just kinda lays around. I guess I'm the only one he truly feels comfortable around…

Which makes sense, but it's still really cool to think about it.

_^Okay. I'm to the last part for the base (the part that goes on my arm; it's the thickest and most delicate part); I just have to insert the gem very precisely into the space I created for it…^_

Toothless just sat back on his butt and watched with a newfound wonder. Like literally, he just found it in himself to watch me work. He'll usually give feedback on ideas and support the things I make, but he typically doesn't like to watch it being made.

I put it out of my mind as soon as I got back to work. I had the gem that Igeon gifted me set out, and had the base of the new shield ready. I had triple-checked my measurements, so I was fairly sure the diamond would fit. Now it was a delicate matter of making the sapphire fit smoothly, and look good in the process.

I placed the diamond into the slot with no problem; it fit perfectly snug, and didn't wobble or waiver. Next came the most delicate part: installing small little metal "fingers" or hooks that linked to the side of the slot and then just barely stuck out in front of the gem in certain places. It would in no way block the view to the sapphire, but it would hold the gem firmly in place.

Once done with that, I held the whole thing over a somewhat small flame, just to finish the fittings. I let it air-cool, which is rare because I typically rush a job and dip it in cool water or oil, but this one I was taking no chances. I didn't need a water-bubble throwing off my sapphire or an oil-bubble to get stuck only to dislodge and grease me up. While the piece cooled, Toothless and I discussed my final plans for the other items I planned on making. Everything would be designed with a shiny black coating achieved with a mixture of ink and coal mixed in with the hot metal. The base of the shield would be black, but the actual moving parts would be regular Gronkle Iron silverfish because the coloring makes for more friction when sliding against itself. My next project would be a sword (black pommel and guard, but Plasma-Polished blade) forged with Toothless' fire, which leaves metal with a slight purplish tint reminiscent of the plasma-fire that created it. After that, it would be a special belt featuring the large Onyx and then a chest plate made to look like Toothless using the emerald/onyx "eye" gems.

I told Toothless about these plans and the fine details until I remembered that I was working on one of them. I checked the base and found that it had cooled off to room temperature.

_*Looks good. Try it on, make sure it suits you.*_

Silently, I picked up the base and slid it on my right arm. I decided it was pointless to fight my left-handedness if everyone is already criticizing me for everything else I am; what's one more thing to add to the pile, huh?

All of the mechanisms were there, save for the shield parts that actually pop out, so I was brandishing most of what the shield needed. I struck a goofy pose, trying to amuse my tough crowd (Toothless returned my famous flat glare), before I decided to seriously hold it. I envisioned myself in battle, about to create my shield out of nothing, and closed my eyes.

_^It's actually fully functional, just no arcs in it yet. See, I can pull the lever and make it-WHOA!^_

I didn't finish that sentence. I pulled the lever that would normally release the shield, knowing that nothing was there. However, as I did so, my Sapphire glowed, filled by some mysterious energy, and suddenly my shield was completed. But not out of Gronkle Iron, but _out of ice_. I pulled the lever, and just like my designs, the shield pieces started from the bottom and top, meeting in the middle. I never planned for this ice to appear out of nowhere, and I definitely didn't expect it to act like a part of my shield.

_*What in Thor's majestic beard?*_

_^It…it…it's ice…and not just normal ice, it's the same ice from the Bewilderbeast's lair. See, the color is slightly off from normal ice…^_

_*But…how? HOW did that ice get there?*_

I didn't answer. It was a rhetorical question, but neither of us knew the answer… We both just stood there, staring at my shield, until I came up with my best theory (five minutes into the staring).

_^Could this be from claiming two Bewilderbeasts? Like, they breathed ice…so maybe I can harness the ice now?^_

Toothless gave me a strange look that told me he was thinking about it.

_*Sure, why not? If we gain some physical characteristics from the Red Death (come ON, you didn't think that muscle tone was all on your own, did you?) I guess doubling up on them could give you…ice powers. But why just now?_

It dawned on me. Why Odin and all of Asgard favor gems and bestow them as gifts, and bejewel their greatest weapons: gems must help channel energies from within. Not that a god would have any trouble with that; it's more for the benefit of mortals.

_^THE SAPPHIRE! That's why it's glowing! It must channel the energies to make the shield.^_

I pressed the button again, and just like my blueprints, the shield retracted.

_*Wow. I think that you're right, actually…*_

We both sat there, dumbstruck by the possible implications of what we just learned. Then, however, we both thought directly of the implications; more specifically, what else we could use this for. We both looked up and made eye contact, each of us with an excited and sly expression on our face. There was no need for words, because we both knew what that meant: what _else_ can we use this for?

Two days after Toothless and I discovered the first little trick that came with using gems, we received a surprise visitor. Not that Thuggory showing up unannounced was really anything strange, but it was unexpected nonetheless.

Apparently, he brought bad news. Toothless and I were using our Skrill friend to test whether or not we could use some gems to harness control over lightning. This one was kinda pushing the limits, seeing as we would only have this ability because of our relationship to the Skrill, not actually claiming the Skrill's powers. That being said, I was more than a little nervous about having lightning shot at me while holding a metal sword.

Thug flew down on Skullcrusher, landing with a loud thud. That thud was nowhere near as loud or off-putting as Thuggory's accompanying roar.

"HICCUP! WE HAVE A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH MY TRIBE!"

For once, I wasn't wearing my mask (I kinda didn't expect to have visitors) so my complete surprise was on full display. Thuggory picked up on it and pressed his issue further, only slightly lowering his voice.

"They've gone mad! Kicked us all out! This is Outcast-tier behavior if I ever saw it!"

"What is?!"

"Oh, they've done it this time! Had a 'tribe council' meeting and just threw us to the curve. 'Disposed' ME, the rightful chief!"

They disposed Thuggory? Why would his tribe do that?

"They overthrew you? And who else did they 'throw out' exactly?"

Thuggory's furious demeanor puts on an impressive show, but I am certain that stress and fear are having their way with his mind right now.

"All of the non-riders threw out all of the riders! We had just received a new tribe in for normal trade, and I went into the woods on a small hunting trip with my general and the other tribe's generals and we came back to find the town turned on us! Their Chief turned the tribe against us and dragons as a whole, Hiccup! The Bloody Knuckles now stand firmly against dragons!"

Well, this is shocking…or is it? Thuggory's village had much fewer volunteers to start with, and it's been hard to get the village as a whole to warm up to riding. I'd say a good 90% of the village didn't ride dragons, and only about 25% of the entire tribe openly supported their integration.

"Well…what would you have me do?"

Bad question. VERY bad question; that's exactly what he wanted me to ask him.

"Have you do? I'd have you march back in there and restore my rightful rule! I want you to fly in their on your Night Fury and convince them to accept dragons, one way or another."

Thuggory put an extra emphasis on that last part, a fact that was not lost on me. In essence, he wanted me to come into a sovereign village and force the majority of people to accept something they likely did not want, and he wanted it down efficiently and with no fallout. I'm not even certain that that is possible, let alone the right course here. It sounds like something Toothless would suggest: brash, bold, and poorly thought out.

_*I don't think we should do that. We need to be a little more gracious in this situation; forcing them to like something is kinda impossible_…*

Despite all that was going on with Thuggory's extremely tight situation, I still found myself most surprised at Toothless. He said the exact thing I was thinking, and it was the last thing that I would think he would do.

Maybe this whole "influencing each other" thing is a lot stronger than we thought.

"WELL, DRAGON BOY?! What are you planning?"

Oh boy, time to tell the walking ham-sandwich that I can't help him reclaim his tribe…

"Thug, there isn't much we can do with your tribe. The village made its _own_ decision, without any bloodshed (that I've heard of). There hasn't been any wrong doing, just a…well…change. This isn't good, by any means, but we have more important things to worry about. In the long run (_^very long run, judging by the 'Beast's words^_), this may even be convenient…"

Oh goodie! Here comes the hurricane…

"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!? THAT MY TRIBE HAS BEEN USURPED BY DAGUR AND THERE'S NOTHING _YOU_ CAN DO BECAUSE OF THE _POLITICS_ OF IT?! UNBELIEVABLE! I CAN'T EVEN GET AN OUTCAST TO HELP ME TAKE OVER MY OWN TRIBE!"

"Yea. Pretty much. But there's something else to consider, an angle that you don't even know about yet."

"It better involve me getting my family's tribe back!"

"It doesn't. This is something much more…grand. Something that Asgard has put into motion, which _we_ have to implement. Something that you and Skullcrusher are going to be a crucial part of."

"Well, don't kill me with the suspense, _runaway_…"

Oooh, sarcasm AND testiness. What a lovely combo.

"That dragon we killed, the Red Death, used to not be alone. There used to be more Alphas who governed the actions of dragons, designed to keep the peace throughout Midgard…but they failed. Now that the age of men has come, dragons and men butt heads too much; we're going to destroy each other unless something guides us to peace. That 'something,' a force that will help stabilize the world, will be the Great Order of the Dragon Riders. And WE are going to start it."

Heck, that speech even motivates me. I can tell that I must have seemed either delusional or full of myself while speaking, because one look at Thug told me that he was not convinced.

"Ooo, yea, us _two _dragon riders saving the world. Sounds fun, now when do we get my tribe back?"

Toothless snickered at me from a few feet away where he has been laying down to watch this ordeal. He, The Skrill, and Skullcrusher had all taken advantage of this somewhat warm day on top of the Sanctuary by resting in the sun-warmed grass.

"It won't just be us. All of the riders from your tribe, now that they are technically Outcasts, will be admitted. Then there are any of Cami's riders who want to join…"

"WANT to? This isn't a forced thing? Like comes with the dragon, buy one get one kinda deal?"

"No, this is only for those who are loyal to the Order above all else. They can either dedicate themselves to the code, or be chosen by the hierarchy." In all honesty, this is a lot to take in, especially after being kicked out of your home. But _still,_ Thug could be a _little_ bit gracious…

"Oh good, I can't wait to hear this part of the story…"

"It's simple: villages ride dragons. Most villages have one or two riders who have stronger bonds with their dragons: Order Members. They keep the peace for their village, and are loyal to the Order. Occasionally, someone with a very strong bond with rise to the top of their area: Order Leaders. These members will share characteristics with their dragons, and will be recognized by being able to speak with dragons. They oversee the Order Members in the area; again, loyal to the Order."

Now, Thug was starting to see what this could become. This wasn't a huge, power-hungry club or a take-over-the-world scheme, this was truly the foundation of a guardian Order.

"Ah. So you are a Leader and I am one of the first Members, then? Or am I going to speak with Skullcrusher soon?"

"No. You are going to be a Council Member. You will be known as an Order Lord. You can't aspire to be one of these people; there have to be a minimum of six and there can only ever be 15 at a time. These are the people who bond with the rare and powerful dragons: Skrills, Boneknappers, Stormcutters, and, yes, Skullcrusher's kind. These people will eventually speak with their dragons and even gain power from them. I expect you to gain some of Skullcrusher's abilities, like increased strength and raw power, as well as durability."

Now it was starting to get to Thug. I could see him really warming up to the idea.

"So I am going to gain special powers kinda like you did, and we are going to start an Order throughout the Archipelago. Am I missing anything?"

"Yes, three things. One, your lifespan will be extended. Two, this Order is going to spread throughout the whole world. And three, it's not just going to be us…"

"Extra life? Okay, I can live with that. For a good long while. The whole world? Ambitious, aren't you? And who else is there?"

_*You're gonna tell him about the other member, aren't you?*_

_^Duh. What else would I say?^_ Toothless shrugged (as best as his body-type would allow him to).

"Well, there is always whoever our Skrill picks for his rider…and the Stormcutter rider I encountered the other day…"

Thug popped his eyebrows at me, before returning to a normal expression.

"Go on…"

"Well, she found me standing over her dead King and claiming both his power and the power of another great dragon. From there, things escalated…a minute later, I retracted my sword from its delicate place against her neck, and he tried to talk things out. Long story short, we definitely got off on the wrong foot, but she is on board. Not because she trusts us yet, but because what we said falls in line with what her King had told her…which reminds me: you need a mask to match your dragon if you want to do this right."

Thuggory's face lit up, and for a second I thought he was genuinely excited for a mask. Turns out, he was mocking me.

"OOOO! I get a mask? YAY, now I can be all mysterious and irresistible as that Fin guy who's going around tribes stealing the hearts of women!"

He thought that was very funny. So did Toothless, and even the Skrill laughed at me a little bit.

_*Oh man, if only Fin knew what to do with ANY of those women. And if only they knew what he did with metal sculptures of his crush!*_

_^ALL RIGHT, WE GET IT! NO NEED TO BEAT IT TO DEATH!^_

Toothless lost control of himself this time, laughing even harder at something we all assumed he thought of. It took him a few seconds to squeeze out what was so funny in between his laughing fits.

_*OH BOY! THAT METAL-ASTRID ALMOST 'BEAT' YOU TO DEATH, IF I REMEMBER RIGHT!_*

I instantly felt my face go hot, and for good reason: now, even the Skrill was laughing at me…hard.

_^GUYS! I knocked over my first statue and the hand was to sharp and fell and cut me! I did NOT get STUCK in a STATUE of my old CRUSH!^_

They weren't buying it, and honestly, I wasn't either.

"I'm missing a lot right now, aren't I?"

"Yup."

"Embarrassing stuff about you?"

"Yup."

"I need that whole 'dragon-talking' thing to hurry up and develop…"

"Nope."

It was a short flight to Thuggory's tribe. I suspected that Dagur was still there, and if not that he wouldn't be far. We had a few things to talk about before things really got out of hand, and it's hard to build an Order when there's an armada going around usurping your cause.

I arrived at the home of the Bloody Knuckles to see an absolutely massive armada easily surrounding the docks. We arrived in broad daylight, and hoped to have a peaceful and civilized discussion before going on our way; that being said, both Toothless and I were watching out for any bolas, arrows, or anything else coming our way.

Toothless spotted Dagur, and pointed out his location to me. I could easily see him standing on what I assumed to be the flagship, staring right at us with a small telescope. We flew down towards him, but he made no move to shoot us down. We took this as a very good sign, at least for now.

As we neared the ship, Dagur put the scope away and ordered his deck cleared for our landing.

"WELL, WELL; FIN AND FATE, IS IT? I'VE BEEN EXPECTING A VISIT FOR A WHILE."

We landed on the main deck of the flagship, with the crew watching us but no one drawing a weapon. I started to walk up the stairs to the top deck, where Dagur stood alone.

"I'm almost a little disappointed it took you this long to get to me. I expected you to come by and try to teach us to train dragons like all of the other tribes…"

"Most of the other tribes. I respected your decision NOT to accept dragons from that day on Drago's ship."

"But you didn't come to trade with us? Surely you figured an armada as big as ours has some good plunder to buy!"

Dagur is actually trying to trap me in words. I hadn't expected this, but I believe I can easily turn this against him.

"I filled my boat with more than I expected more than once. I just came from dropping off my own haul, and got sidetracked working with some new weapons."

"Well, from the looks of your shield and sword there, I'd say you need to build the rest of it. I mean, who comes to reclaim a village with broken weapons?"

Ah, so he did expect me to come for the village. Good, I have something he didn't account for, which could make him think twice about other things.

"Actually, no, I just came to talk. The people peacefully changed leadership, nothing here for me to do."

My helmet and mask hid my smirk, but Dagur's surprised look was evident. He recovered somewhat well, however.

"Then why have you come here? I assume you don't want to die…"

"I'd prefer not. I'm here to reach a peaceful solution; right now, we are on opposite sides converging towards a violent confrontation. I'd rather spare the bloodshed and come up with a better solution."

"Opposite sides? Oh, you mean my mission to let the Archipelago know about the dangers of dragons AND their riders?"

"And my mission to establish peaceful dragon riders throughout the Archipelago, yes."

"Ah. They do seem contrary, don't they? Well, if you equip my army with dragons then I would be happy to count you as my greatest ally!"

So that's what he's playing at. He wants me to avoid fighting him myself so I can help him fight other people. It's even likely that he'll try to conquer all the clans.

"Ah, no. I was thinking we both stay out of each other's matters: you don't single out dragons or their riders, and I won't burn your armada."

This time, I stood firm with my threat. It's time to show Fin's serious side, and that means that I'm gonna have to establish myself as an individual of Iron Knick-Knacks.

"HAH! You and what army?"

"Do you _really_ want to find out what type of army I could have?"

"The way I see it, if word gets around that the Dragon Rider has declared war against the Traditional Vikings then most of the tribes would feel honored to join my side, leaving you with what? Some beasts?"

"Likely, the dragons and the Bog Burglars."

"Right. Some beasts and the dragons. You really like those odds?"

Here, I did not answer. If I did, it would leave Dagur in a favorable position in our argument, and I would need to go out strongly if I wanted to leave an impression on Dagur.

"So what's it gonna be, Dragon Boy? Ally to the greatest armada in Viking history, or are you going to stand against the might of the Barbaric Archipelago?"

That question hung in the air for a few seconds. It wasn't designed to be much of a question, with the first answer being an 'obvious' choice. However, I couldn't trust Dagur with dragons. If I stood against him, I know that I would be the one to suffer the loses. If I gave him dragons, I would have to stand and watch as others try to defend themselves in a futile effort. The question was an obvious one, but not in the way Dagur expected when he proposed the question.

"Well, I guess this makes us enemies. I'm afraid it will be death, though whose we shall see."

Dagur arched his eyebrows (something I seem to encourage a lot lately) before resuming the maniacal behavior that had been put on hold for this conversation. He grinned madly and laughed as if the news of war was one of the best surprised he had received in a long time. It was almost as if I had thrown a surprise party for him. Except the present was likely a very bloody war.

"Well, I'll admit: you've got balls! I did not expect THAT! Tell you what, I'll give you three months. On the first day of the third moon cycle from now, I'll come prepared for war to an island about a day south of Berk. It's small, long, and thin, with no tress or hills. It's really just a flat field, perfect for two forces to fight. You take one long side, I'll take the other, and the best force wins."

"You want to challenge my dragon army on neutral grounds in the middle of the ocean? Deal. We'll see you there."

Dagur had shook out his hand and the end of his latest proposal, but his body language fully expected me to turn him down. He was fighting a grin, knowing that I would turn tail and back out of the fair grounds. I took him by surprise when I firmly shook his hand, looked him in the eye, and told him "I'll see you again. Come prepared" before hopping the railing back down to the first deck. The crew parted for me to walk to Toothless (who hadn't had a problem) unhindered.

I mounted Toothless, but before I took off I noticed an old symbol on the boat that did not belong to the Berserkers; it must have belonged to the previous owners. I scanned the crew to find most of them not to even look like Berserker decent, so Dagur must have taken over the ship relatively peacefully. A closer look at the symbol led me to remember where I had seen it before: on Drago Bludvist's men's' uniforms. Dagur must have taken over Drago's fleet, which is why his armada grew so much.

"Well, boys, thanks for the courtesy. I'll see you all on the battlefield. I hope you put up a better fight than Drago Bludvist did…"

I waited a second for my words to sink in before taking off. The effect was instantaneous: the men started shifting around and showing slight signs of panic. If Fin's reputation hadn't scared them before, the new knowledge that I killed Drago might help instill fear into their hearts.

Good. Their fear can only help me now.

Author's Note: Yay, broke 5k words in one chapter again. I think I am JUST under 60,000, so I might write a really long Author's Note if I come out short. If this note turns out to be really long and I am just barely over 60k words, you know what happened :D

Okay, I am back from checking the words I need and guess what? Long Author's not time! I don't really want to add any extra detail to the chapter because I usually have a plan in my head as I write and going back and adding things just makes me feel like I've thrown off the flow of my story. I wouldn't even be doing this, but one of the filters for searching for new tics that I use most often jumps form 40,000 words to 60,000 (I like to read long fics that entertain me for a while, so I look for long fics). Which means, yes, this is a ploy for more views and reviews. As of writing this, I already have 109 reviews, and I have read them all. Usually on the day following a new chapter I check in constantly for new reviews because as a FF Author it kinda feels like it validates you. Like "I have over 100 favs AND over 100 reviews... people actually care about my writing!"

You guys have been great! I am a high school student taking all college classes at a Community College, and that actually leaves me with a lot of time. I've recently thought about writing my own book in my free time, but I don't have as many plots that I want to happen in that as I do for this story and writing a book would take away some serious FF writing time. That's probably far off, but you never know; I may write that and it may pay for college. Wouldn't that be great!?

Anyways, in case it wasn't obvious, leave reviews and whatnot. YES, I COMPLETELY forgot about Valka in CH14, and you guys caught that (a lot). Fortunately, I needed to get Thug into the Order and using her as an anecdote was a storytelling style I hadn't tried yet so it all fit together. That's what I get for writing at 2am so often :D

Ikedawg out (am I past 60,000 words YET?)


	16. Uneven Match-Up

Exodus and Return-us

Chapter 16

NOTE: this is my second chapter in two nights to upload, so double check to see if you have read the last chapter. I might have uploaded faster than you can read them :D

Toothless' POV

One month left until the battle with Dagur, and we have made our first rounds to all of the clans. Or at least, all of the undecided clans. The Bog Burglars have already pledged support to our cause, obviously the Berserkers are a no, and we received word a while ago that the Hairy Hooligans support Dagur wholeheartedly. Hiccup was put a little bit off by that news, but hid behind his 'Fin Façade' while touring the clans. Thuggory toured with us, touting his new mask and getting tips from Hiccup about his bond with Skullcrusher. Skullcrusher asked me for a few things, but he mostly remained quiet and listened to what Hiccup had to say. Hiccup never realized it, but they both looked to him for nearly everything. At this point, I'm not certain that Hiccup is fully aware of how influential he really is.

We toured the clans, making a case for our cause against Dagur and the integration of dragons as a whole. 'Fin' gave many convincing speeches backed by tangible evidence, the crux of which was and is the lack of dragon attacks since the Red Death's defeat. No clans openly called for dragon integration (an armada looming overhead kinda puts you on edge sometimes), but many clans favored us of Dagur. Not many clans truly liked Dagur; typically, when a maniac has an army, no one tries to upset him.

Just like us, Dagur visited all of the clans, spouting about the evils of the riders. Everywhere he went, he only reinforced the age-old fears and feelings towards dragons. It was seldom that he actually gained the favor of a clan; he just set us back farther. Hiccup admitted it was an effective if arrogant strategy: the belief that he is strong enough to defeat us without any help led him to stop us from receiving help. As it stands, our little Squad is heading to our last stop, that rich clan that Hiccup likes, for one last visit before heading back to organize our army.

It still feels odd to think of _Hiccup _leading an army into battle.

_^Alright guys, there it is. Let's land down by the docks like usual. I need to find the Chief and learn what's happened since our last tour here.^_

We landed, with the crowd of shocked bystanders going smaller with each visit, and Hiccup dismounted. Thuggory sat on Skullcrusher, eagerly looking to Hiccup for his instructions.

"Oh yea, sorry Thug. Stay here around the docks with the dragons, I'm going to find the Chief. Walk around and buy some stuff, be generous. TRY to be likable for once, please."

Thuggory rolled his eyes, but didn't comment. Hiccup walked off, and I found this as an excellent opportunity for a nap. I heard Skullcrusher groan as I circled around and closed my eyes, and I remembered the instructions Hiccup gave him on the way over. In short, I get to sleep because the crowd is used to me; he's still new so he has to stay alert. Sucks to be a Council Dragon, huh?

Hiccup woke me up when he returned, with his light footsteps accompanied by much larger ones. I woke up to see…not a barrel of fish, unfortunately. I mean, I didn't expect that at this particular moment, but I was disappointed anyways. Instead, it was the Chief, who greeted Thuggory before ME!

_*Oh, come on! Night Fury here!*_

_^He he he. It's always refreshing to see someone who is ignorant of the mighty scourge of the skies…^_

I gave Hiccup my usual half-lidded eyes look, before resuming my normal face when addressed by the Chief. I zoned in and out of the formalities (I mean, seriously, why do humans need to do ALL of this? Just praise the Night Fury and get on with it!) until the actual good stuff came up.

"I was just telling Fin about Dagur's deal to all of the tribes. He's taken a very controversial stance; any clan that stands against him will be wiped out: nothing odd there."

Hiccup tilted his head and looked up, thinking about the last statement almost comically before nodding his head and deciding that it fit. I didn't even realize till afterward that I had done the same thing.

"All allied clans will gain Dagur's favor: makes sense. However, all clans who feign 'neutrality' will be 'taken at face value for hidden support of dragons.' Now THAT is a bold move, even from Dagur. Basically, he's put all his stock that everyone will join him if they are _forced_ to pick a side."

Thuggory had his arms crossed while he received this information, and took one arm out of the fold to punctuate his reply.

"Well, that certainly is a bold move. Dagur the Deranged, eh? Fitting name if ever there was one. {once again, Hiccup and I agreed, though it didn't take a moment to think on}. How are we planning to use this against him?"

Finally, something to _do._ Why has it taken this long to get to this point?

"We are going to do the opposite in a final show of good will. We'll send out messengers to all tribes (save the Berserkers) announcing our counter-deal: Neutrality will be taken as a sign of…neutrality. We're going to announce that since dragons are still a touchy subject, we will understand and respect any declarations of neutrality."

Ugh.

_*That's IT? We're not going after those clans closest to joining us?*_

"We don't believe it wise to bring other clans into this. We want to minimize casualties, and more clans means more bodies. Besides, it would look great to whip Dagur then come back to many neutral clans eager to train dragons."

Thuggory seemed to be confused by something, and knowing him, he wouldn't let it go unspoken.

"Then why are we discussing this in front of the Chief?"

"Because…" said Chief began, "we are silently pledging allegiance. We won't support Fin in battle, but we will help behind scenes and economically. If any clans have questions or 'gossip' about Fin's motives, we will give our opinion in support of him."

Oh joy, more politics. When do I get to speed into a town and command the respect of everyone around? THAT is how you get people to join your side!

Apparently, my ambitions aren't shared…

"Chief, I know that you have pledged silent support, and I highly value our relationship with your tribe, so I feel I need to ask you something…"

Great Thor, is Hiccup asking this guy OUT?

Actually, that might make a lot of sense…

"Are there any villagers here that have shown a clear interest in dragons? Perhaps, someone people who are obviously willing to train one?"

Thuggory stood up a little bit taller as he realized what Hiccup was doing, and I was somewhat disappointed that Hiccup wasn't, in fact, asking him out. Of course, that would weird ME out, but it would still be funny to see him shot down.

"Well, I suppose that a few names do come to mind. However, reinforcement troops weren't part of our understanding…"

Thug jumped in, finally realized that Hiccup was playing an 'Order' angle.

"No, no, no, you misunderstand. Would these people be willing to come with us to learn _how_ to train dragons? In a strictly no-combat, educational/mentorship type role?"

I could FEEL Hiccup smile. Hel, _I_ even felt like grinning; the Order was starting to come together. We could actually SEE it beginning, and that was huge.

"Indeed. When the dust settles, this would allow your clan a large jump-start in dragon training. Our goal, the Order, will establish leaders in each village to manage the daily ordeals. If you started their training now, you likely wouldn't even need our help after the fight."

The Chief thought this over, bringing his fingers to sift through his beard absently whilst doing so.

"Ah, fine. What's life without a few low-risk investments?! Bou and his friend Igg both are generally good-mannered kids that have recently showed such an interest. Heck, they even told me they want to try it."

"Kids, eh? How old are we talking?"

"Oh, just 18 and 19 respectively. Really, they're on the cusp of true adulthood."

Hiccup froze for a second, but continued anyways. I know that it ircked him that these "kids" were older than _he_ was.

"Alright, make sure arrangements are made for them to come with us when we leave tonight. Now, I'd like us to catch Thuggory up on the other arrangements we made…"

Well, that's my cue to go back to sleep.

(Letter To Secret Order Member Currently Undercover)

_PRE-LETTER NOTE: YOUR COVER IS NO LONGER A CONCERN. LEAVE FOR SAFETLY AT YOUR EARLIEST CONVIENCE. DO NOT READ UNTIL SAFE._

_Let me start by thanking you for staying so diligent and remaining loyal to the Order, despite still residing in a hostile village. I know that ever since we, the riders, were banished from the Bloody Knuckles, that you have been hiding a dragon that no one had known about. Know that we are keeping track of your progress updates, and haven't forgotten you._

_I want to update you on what has happened, now that you are free to come out of hiding and join the rest of us. For the past month, Fin has had more than a full plate, and everyone has been amazed to watch him manage it all. It doesn't seem human, yet he has yet to complain about being too busy._

_First of all, all month he has been shadowed by the two new 'rich boy' recruits that he has been mentoring. They both have already decided to pledge their loyalty WITHOUT being coerced, and this is a good sign moving forward. Bou and Igg both have bonded well with their dragons, and it seems that Fin's hunch proved true: these boys were the first ready to train dragons because they were meant to have a special bond. They are both fast on track to becoming Leaders, and that gives our Order its first real foothold in a clan. _

_Secondly, the war preparations have gone fantastically. You wouldn't believe the amount of dragons that have showed up to support Fin. Apparently, freeing one nest and taking over a second makes for more dragons that you can envision. Our plan actually focuses on feigning a full aerial, but I can't risk going into detail should this letter me intercepted. I mean, you should receive this the day before the battle. _

_On top of both of these things, Fin has successfully contracted out a dozen blacksmiths to finish war preparations. These men are paid in gold (and training tips sometimes) and use the new, mega-forge recently built on Red Death Island. These men worked long and hard on armor and weapons built with our secret metal, Gronkle Iron, supplied by the Gronkles themselves. *I* still don't even know how the stuff is made, other than the Gronkles' bellies._

_Every rider has full riding armor and an array of weapons to choose from. Somewhat beautifully crafted and very, very durable, these items should very hold up very well in battle. Fin also plans to have some troops armed for ground combat, mainly as a 'just in case' type thing. _

_Out of all of the armor sets and weapons, nothing even compares to Fin's personal equipment. For once, he didn't go all out creating new weapons and altering styles and whatnot; he settled down, stuck with what he had, and focused on small improvements. His chest plate is a work of art: the gems perfectly mimic Fate's eyes, and the black background just fits so _well_. He's still got his multi-staff, but is sticking with his gem-inlayed sword and shield combo. I suspect they hide more secrets than most people suspect, thought that remains to be seen._

_Finally, let's talk about you. I haven't yet mentioned you to Fin; I want you to meet him right as he learns that there is another Council Rider. You would make our forth, leaving us to find a rider for our Skrill and then find one more. I still can't wait to hear the full tale of how you found and tamed a Boneknapper, but I want it in person! I've heard you are a masterful story-teller when on the drink! After a swift victory, there will be plenty of that!_

_As I write this, our final preparations are being made. Everyone is packing up, and I myself am about to depart with our first SQUADron (see what we did there? Fin enjoys being clever like that). Good luck trying to fly your 'Knapper without a proper saddle! I'm certain that Fin will want to make you an amazing saddle by hand whenever he can._

_I still can't believe that two Lords are going to have come from my own village, much less my bloodline._

_Best of luck, nephew_

_Thuggory, Council Rider of Skullcrusher _

(Hiccup's POV)

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.

Final checks: Flamer? Check. Freeze? Check. Bo-staff? Check. Armor? Check, check, check, etc. Army?

Well, let's hope that's ready.

_*You good?*_

_^Yes. Yes I am. If I don't go now then my feet might run the other way on their own.^_

_*Great. I'm the one being ridden by a pu-*_

_^Love you too, bud. Let's do this.^_ Great, sarcasm. Perfect way to bond with your battle brother before a war…

Alright, let's review the battlefield. The long, flat island was just that. I don't even think that there is a bump on this place. And Dagur has been here for a week, digging in and preparing for an aerial assault. Trenches have been dug, contraptions that I assume are built to withstand dragon attacks are loaded.

Our scouting reports said that Dagur's armada has interconnected itself and equipped a basic metallic cover, creating a flat(ish) metallic flotsam designed to withstand aerial fire. The ships have skeleton crews designed to keep enough ships intact to float away from here. To the side, one tribe showed up to support Dagur: Berk. Looks like they've made the best of the time off from dragon raids; I haven't seen Gobber at the battlefield, but I can tell he's been busy with those flashy new guards and shields.

All in all, it seems as if everything is ready to go. Stormfly flew over a few minutes ago to give me her best wishes, as she will be leading a small 10 Nadder Squad designed to patrol from high in the sky. She seems optimistic, but I can tell she is really nervous that this battle is going to claim me, whether in soul or body. I appreciate her concern: I've got the same ones.

Time to do this. I decided to go with the risky plan because, if executed well (which I have no doubt it will) it will bolster Fin's reputation to near-legendary status. I gave Thuggory a firm hand-shake and wished him good luck.

"I'm not the one walking straight at an army; you be careful out there."

I nodded. The weight of the situation seemed to keep my lips closed.

I really hope that doesn't slow me down, when the times comes…

Toothless flew me down, and let me hop off. The auto-fin was working perfectly, and I had secretly given Stormfly's squad instructions to watch Toothless and rescue him should something happen to his tail.

I landed just on the edge of the beach and grass, and started walking towards the enemy, with no shield or weapon wielded. I definitely had them on me, but I was just walking at the Berserkers…and Berk. Each step felt like an out of body experience; I was walking towards an adversary who would kill me for fun, and a home who made me wish that I had been killed. And the worst part? I had not control over where I was going! I felt like I was trapped within my own body, forced to watch myself walk to my biggest fear.

Eventually, as I got really close to their camp and men started to gather to defend the front line, my mind started going over what I needed to do, and this slowly restored my control over myself. I walked until I was 20 feet from the front line (comprised completely of Berk soldiers that I once called my clan-members), and then stopped. They definitely seemed confused, but they were quickly snapped out it by…Astrid. Of course Astrid flourished in this army. Within 30 seconds, I was completely surrounded by a solid ring of Berk soldiers, with Astrid, Dagur, and Stoic standing just within the circle. We just stood there, watching each other, before Stoic finally broke the silence.

"Alright, I pegged you for a madman, but not even Dagur would be so bold as this. What's the meaning of all {he gestured with an open hand to all of me} _this_."

Of course, he has no proof I am alive and thinks that the last link to me is a deranged dragon rider, yet I STILL get all of these degrading gestures. Like it's a part of him I can't escape.

Time to solidify a legend.

"Oh, me? Sorry, didn't see you there. I've just come to get a good view."

"Of WHAT?" Astrid burst out. Surprisingly, she didn't even flinch when Stoic shot her a small glare. She must have stepped out of line, yet didn't care for the consequences, and that is not something that I would have _ever_ thought she would do.

I didn't answer right away. I looked towards the skies, pretending to be looking for my dragon army. I noticed out the corners of my eyes that some of the men forming the chain around me began shifting nervously and looking upwards as well.

"Oh, just your complete destruction. You know, normal stuff."

There was a ripple effect to the soldiers as my words sunk in. Stoic caught onto my game immediately and tried to get out in front to play down my comments.

"I'm afraid you were mistake. It's your death you've come for."

I didn't audibly reply. Instead, I pointed to the sky with one hand and used the other to cover my face, like I was looking at something small and far away. I began following nothing with my finger to make it look like I was tracking something. Suddenly, I put my hand to my forehead as if I had forgotten something.

"Oh, I totally forgot…"

I gestured back up to the skies in a wide manner.

"Today's not the raining fire…"

I brought my arms to my side, with my hands open and my palms facing forward, and VERY slowly began to raise them out to my sides.

"This is the part where they come…FROM UNDERGROUND!"

As I punctuated that last part, I jerked my arms up as if raising a buried body from the dead. Except out to my sides, like I was raising an undead army. This was my visual signal, and I sent out a mental signal to the Whispering Deaths. Dagur thought that defending against the air would be easiest from underground, where ALL of the Whispering Deaths play.

Once my hands reached the top of their arc, chaos erupted from the dirt. All throughout the encampments of the Berserkers, holes in the earth burst open and swarms of dragons erupted, mounted by my warriors. The effect was instantaneous; panic spread like fire throughout the enemy troops, and the battle was over before it started. Despite the massive army against us, the only people who kept their composure were the soldiers in the ring around me.

The men all rushed me, and I was ready. I had my staff out, and it was merely a matter of using their pandemonium against them. I couldn't find it in myself to go for any kill shots yet, instead focusing on blunt force with my staffs. Things were going well until Stoic caught onto my hesitation.

"HE'S NOT GOING FOR THE KILL! MAKE HIM PAY FOR HIS MISTAKE!"

The men had a restored vigor, and a confidence that not-dying usually inspires. I began to lose ground quickly, until I took a hard knock to the back of my left leg, just below the knee. It didn't cut through the Gronkle Iron (left a decent dull spot on the sword, actually), but it dropped me down to one knee.

"DON'T. MOVE."

It was Astrid's voice. I was certain that she hadn't hit my leg, but took the opportunity to hold a blade to the side of my neck. It wouldn't actually matter because I had built a metal nick guard that wouldn't allow my head to be chopped off, but it had me frozen nonetheless.

"Good. Everyone, back up!"

The men did as they were told, and reformed their circle just as it had been. More than a few sported limps, a testament to my staff.

"Now, if you value your life, tell me what you know of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, _heir_ to the Chiefdom of Berk."

I couldn't help myself; I let out somewhat of an evil chuckle. They are _asking_ about me as if I am still some hero, as if I've been corrupted and they want to save me. I still know the truth; they don't want me, they want the Hiccup that could conquer dragons blindfolded. I wonder what they would say when their rising hero is revealed to be the evil dragon trainer…

"Oh, you mean the _runaway?_"

WHACK. A good, solid hit to my head with the flat of the blade.

"I'm going to tell you how this works. You ANSWER truthfully and I'll let you live."

This might hurt, but I may enjoy this too much. I almost don't even WANT to bust out my new weapons and get free. ALMOST. I can't wait to see their faces then.

"So what'd I do wrong? You want to know the truth? Hiccup LEFT." I began shouting it now, to Hel with whispering. "He was DRIVEN from the only place he'd known by the people that SHOULD have LOVED HIM! You people EXILED YOUR OWN HEIR!"

I could _feel_ Astrid shake slightly. I'm not sure what happened to her, or if she was suspected of driving me out, but this was a touchy subject for some reason. And now that I think of it, why is _Astrid_ interrogating me? Isn't there an angry ginger warlord with a bone to pick with me?

SQUWAAAAAK! Suddenly, Astrid was violently knocked back by a Nadder, and I was released.

_^*HICCUP! ARE YOU OKAY?*^_

_^I'm fine. I was enjoying that, actually…^_

_^*You hopeless child…*^_

Of course, Stormfly came here to save me.

_^Thank you, mother…^_

WHAM! Next thing I knew, Stoic had thrown his hammer full force at me, and Stormfly had twisted to take the blow. It knocked her back a few feet, and left her clumsy for a few seconds. She wobbled around, trying to recollect herself after such a massive blow to the head, before being tackled by the soldiers.

Next thing I knew, I was surrounded by a full circle, with Stormfly pinned down by Dagur and Spitelout about 15 feet to the left of where Stoic and Astrid stood. Spitelout held a dagger to Stormfly's neck, obviously threatening to kill her without hesitation.

"One false move, and the Nadder dies!" Spitelout yelled, letter Dagur keep Stormfly pinned down by keeping his boot on her head.

Now, I was _actually_ stuck. I would NOT risk Stormfly's life, yet I needed to do so much more still. The battle around us raged on, but never touched us. It was also surprisingly quiet, despite all the fighting elsewhere.

"I would NOT do that, if I were you."

"Oh really? Why not?"

Ugh, I hate making threats, because I usually have to kill to uphold them. Especially in a pickle like this.

"Look around you. YOU HAVE LOST. The old way, the constant fight against dragons, is OVER. A new era is upon us, and I am ushering it in. You have already fought for the wrong side. Look, even now Dagur is dying!"

No one had noticed that Stormfly had struck Dagur with one of her poisonous spikes. It was embedded well into his calve; if that spike had been concentrated with the level of poison I suspected, Dagur would fall unconscious within the minute, and be dead in two. From the looks of the battle, his clan was right there with him.

"History won't uphold that you stuck by tradition honorably! Children will learn of the shameful tribe of Berk who refused to let old, futile views die out. They may even tell of how this lead to their complete destruction, just like the Berserkers."

I had begun to address the whole crowd, walking in a small circle and rotating to face everyone.

"What do you want said? That you went down clinging to futile traditions, or that you laid down your weapons and integrated into the new society?! YOU FACE A CHOICE! YOU CAN GO DOWN PROUD…OR YOU CAN HUMBLE YOURSELF, PROVE YOUR HONOR, AND GIVE THE NEW WORLD A GOOD SHOT!"

The men were quiet. No one moved, spoke, or maybe even breathed. I made my full loop, staring down each man I used to know. I knew their families, and their proud heritage and fighting spirit. This wouldn't be easy, but I finally think I could have Berk's heart changing.

I turned around to find Astrid walking towards me, nearly making it to me already. She was walking calmly, and looked as if she had something important to say. Something powerful. She might even be coming to lead her tribe into this change.

She stopped, a mere two feet from me, and opened her mouth to speak. Our eyes met, with the fires of the war burning behind he in the distance setting her outline aglow and lighting my mask up. It also illuminated my eyes.

Before she said anything, she closed her mouth back absently, transfixed on something she saw. Suddenly, her eyes went wide, like seeing the ghost of a child you murdered (oddly specific, but fitting). She slowly started walking backwards, taking very small steps, and mouthed something. I'm not sure if she also whispered the accompanying word very softly and my ears picked it up, but the meaning was clear: "Hiccup."

I expected panic to flood me, as it usually did when something went awry while in Berk's company. Instead, I was suddenly filled with an anger I did not fully comprehend.

"It would be VERY wise to keep that word to yourself." I hissed out, through somewhat-gritted teeth. Astrid fell backwards, eyes still wide and fixed on me. She seemed psychologically paralyzed, just like when I walked towards the army.

I spun on my heel, with a fire beginning to burn inside of me. The time had come for a decision to be made, and I was out of patience.

"SPITELOUT! Decide the future of your tribe NOW! SET HER FREE!" I yelled with all of the urgency I could muster (a LOT).

Spitelout froze for a second, thinking. He now had the power to decide what would happen next. Slowly, he glared back at me before giving me his reply.

"It's not a 'her,' it's just a beast. A _dragon_. And _IT_ DESERVES TO DIE!"

That escalated quickly. Way too quickly. I didn't have a chance to get there in time. I made four huge, quick strides to cover the distance, drew Flamer the sapphire-imbued sword which caught fire when it sprung out of the pommel, and forced it straight through the center of his chest. For good measure, I lifted him up by the sword and flung him 10 feet back over my shoulder. It would be a miracle if he was alive when he landed.

But it wasn't enough. I looked down to Stormfly, and couldn't control the tears that came to my eyes. Straight across her neck was a clean cut, bleeding out quickly. Nothing I could do would matter: this was a death-blow.

_^STORMFLY! I'M SORRY! I'M SO SO SORRY! I THOUGHT-I THOUGHT I WOULD BE GOOD ENOUGH…^_

Stormfly rested her head in my hand, and looked up at me with her big eye. There wasn't even a hint of disappointment there: only pride, wonder, adoration…love.

_*…you were, Hiccup…you lost so…few, yet…you did so…much good. Promise me…not to miss out…on your own life. You are going to be important…to the world. Make sure you take time…for what's important in _your_ world…*_

I couldn't say anything. I was stunned, tears already beginning to streak down my cheeks. I used my other hand to rub her snout and gently as I could, making sure she knew I was there.

_*Thank you…for letting me be part of what's important to you…Hiccup.*_

If I wasn't already crying, now I would be. On death's door for my sake, yet she is thanking ME.

_*Goodbye, Hiccup…*_

Her eye began to droop. As stunned and horrified as I was, I was NOT about to let her die without saying goodbye.

_^Goodbye Stormfly. I'll not forget you…^_

I gave her her _last_ special scratch behind the ear, and the last thing she did before bleeding out releasing a small, pleased combo of a squawk and a purr, and it resonated throughout both of my hands…

I gently laid her head to the ground. I could see to proper arrangements after I made sure to make these people PAY.

I drew my sword and charged towards the nearest soldiers. I don't recall recognizing many faces, or battle details. All I know is the corners of my vision started to seep red, and heads started to roll. Literally.

My vivid recollection began whilst I was being charged by the Berkians. I withdrew my flaming sword Flamer from one man's ribs by retracting the blade altogether. To cover myself, I activated my shield. The ice emerged like normal and formed my finished shield, which I used to block a diagonal blow before landing a firm kick to one man's chest, causing him to fall on his back. I could sense someone trying to tackle me from behind, so I spun with my shield out in front. It connected to his helmet, making a loud ring and sending him sideways. If that wasn't a severe concussion, I don't know what can be.

I used a new trick with my shield to kill the next man coming: I spun, making the motions as if throwing my shield. Just when I would have normally released the shield, just the ice parts flew out as a ¾ shield and impaled a man.

I stopped to catch my breath when no one else charged me. All around me, there were terrified faces, dead bodies, severed heads and limbs, and blood EVERYWHERE. Next thing I knew, a loud shriek was heard and Toothless landed in front of me.

_^About damn time! Where have you been!?^_

_*Fighting. What…happened here?*_

All of the men backed away slowly, and it gave me plenty of time to look over what I had wrought: death. My rage had consumed me, and I no longer trusted myself to make any capable decisions.

_*Are you okay? HICCUP! WHAT'S WRONG?!*_ I could hear sheer panic in Toothless voice, something that rarely happens. Deep down, I knew that he was concerned for me and I should respond, but I could only focus on the death around me and the rage within.

I saw Astrid, still frozen in place watching me, but now the closest person as everyone else cowered in fear. I felt myself having an inner crisis: the largest war that day was going on inside of _me._ I had already given into my rage; what's ONE more body? It wouldn't matter, would it?

No, but this one would mean something. It would be a statement that I don't want to make.

But it could be a statement that I wouldn't tolerate anything that displeased me, setting me up as the most feared being alive.

"GET OUT OF HERE! RUN! GO HOME BEFORE I CAN'T STOP MYSELF!"

I'm not sure which part of me said that. But it was true: their best chance would be to flee. I wouldn't kill them right then for numerous reasons, one being my best friend's uber-concerned facial look.

"GO! I CAN'T STOP THIS!"

All of the men didn't need a second reminder, but Astrid still sat there. Next thing I knew, I had ran over to her with my sword raised. Fortunately, I came out of it in time to force the blade to strike the ground next to her.

"Astrid, get out! Go home and defend yourselves, I can't stop this."

It was much lower in volume this time, like a small remnant of me fighting to get lose. It must have resonated with Astrid on some lever, because she finally snapped out. Her face changed to a _different_ terrified look, and she stumbled before running towards Berk's last ship.

I fell to my knees, my head falling back, and all of my muscles clenching as I writhed in agony. There was no physical pain, yet everything HURT. I didn't even remember Toothless scooping his head underneath me, nor him wiggling until I was somewhat in the saddle. I just remember high-speed winds whisking away my tears, and the feeling of a true friend resonating from underneath me…

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, so I have to admit: some of y'all have said that I am at my best when I write Toothless and Hiccup bickering. I agree completely. But I can't have only that. So I decided to go with different POV's and style for the last few chapters just to keep it fresh. I have been SO excited to write this chapter, specifically that end scene, for a while now. I feel like I was silently challenged to write a scene that was just as good as my bickering scenes but in a completely different way. I would absolutely LOVE to hear your thoughts in the comments.

And yes, the Major confrontation is done. There is still some resolving confrontations and a plot twist that is totally predictable yet I've wanted to do it for so long. See y'all later.

Oh and two nights in a row! How awesome am I!


	17. Give the Girl a Prize

Exodus and Return-us

Chapter 17

Gobber's POV

Its officially been 8 days since Stoic left to aid Dagur, and I was just told by one of the lookouts that it seemed that our ships were returning. There was nothing out of the ordinary with the timing; enough time to make it to the island, fight, and come back. I was just worried about how the Haddock family would fare during the fight. I know Hiccup still doesn't have any intention of revealing himself, so I can only hope that he avoid Berk's troops. I'm not certain how Hiccup would hold up if he took anyone's life, much less a Hooligan's.

I waited by the docks for the ships, now identified to be our own, to make port. Right away, I noticed something wrong in that we sent 15 ships and 350 men, but I only saw 3 ships returning. The people gathered around me (not many, mind you; most villagers in a Viking village are bona fide fighters) must have realized the same thing because I heard more than a few gasps.

If only Stoic had listened to me, over any of the points I tried to argue. Granted that my biggest argument I couldn't tell him, seeing as "Fin" is still a secret, but I brought up many points that normally Stoic would have listened to: sending so many people, sending both the Chief and next-of-kin Spitelout, leaving our village so poorly defended…any of those reasons would have given Stoic pause if the battle hadn't been against Fin. He'd never admit it, but I could see in his eyes what he was thinking. If Stoic could overpower "Fin," it would give us a strong standing with Dagur and, more importantly, it would give Stoic a chance to force out answers about Hiccup. After the not-so-friendly chat last time, the prevailing theory is that Astrid drove Hiccup out, and that Finn kidnapped or murdered him, although Fin hiding him from us is also likely. If only they knew…

The ships docked, I instantly everyone noticed the poor shape they were in; holes, scorch marks, scratches…you name it, these ships had been through it. Honestly, there wasn't any difference from when ships would come back from nest hunts. Hiccup's dragons did quite a number.

After you saw the poor shape of the ships, you saw the defeated looks on the remaining faces. On the lead ship I saw Stoic, with an expression more solemn then any I had seen before. Next to him was Astrid, who looked as if she had shrunk. Something big must have happened for Stoic to look so beaten and Astrid to look so…timid. The ship pulled up to the dock, and Stoic started barking orders for the troops who had been reserves and weren't as tired and for the folk on the docks. Save me, of course, because I was fixing to walk with Stoic. All these youngsters can do the unloading.

"So, I take it there was quite a fight?"

Astrid followed right behind Stoic and I, but remained silent. Stoic let out a very gruff huff before answering in a "don't even try it, Gobber" voice.

"I don't even know if you could call it that. We only have seven confirmed dragon kills, no riders even downed, and lost 75% of the men we took."

My eyebrows arched significantly (on their own, I didn't even move the bushes) at this: I saw that we lost a lot of ships, but I never would have thought that Hiccup would wipe out over half our village.

"That many? Ye' only took ¾ of the whole clan! That's, like…uh, a lot gone…"

"43.75% gone, Gobber. Just…dead" Astrid corrected me, barely whispering that last part.

"I was a fool, Gobber. I thought that we could out-strategize that rider and hit him before he figured it out. Dagur had been there half the month digging trenches, and then the dragons appeared from out of the GROUND!"

Stoic's fist clenched and his knuckles went as white as snow when he told me this. I could also tell he had clenched his teeth.

"And tha' worst part? That _bastard_ was smug about it! He just walked right up to our lines ALONE, mocks us and unleashes everything when we least expected it. But the after that, oh Gobber, we had him in our grasp!"

"Come again?!"

"You heard me! As smug as he was, OUR men still surrounded him and pressed him hard. He tried to fight us off without using kill shots, and we made him PAY! Had him down on one knee with Astrid's dagger to his neck!"

If they didn't kill Hiccup then, I think I will when I see him for being so STUPID.

"I should have known Hiccup's killer would be smart. Astrid interrogated him, but the silver-tongued devil got a rise out of her. That, and one of his little _pets_ swooped in to save him."

"And he just flew away?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I had watched Astrid look at the ground or away from me whenever Fin was mentioned. I made a note to press her for info; something had CLEARLY gotten into her britches.

"No, we had him again! Captured one of the blue Nadders that saved him, and he didn't dare make a false move with a blade to its throat. Dagur held it down and Spitelout had the blade, so Fin gave a speech to our men trying to sway them "out of the old futile" ways into the new age of "dragon riding…" For a moment, I was concerned about the lack of animosity towards Fin during the speech, but Spitelout saved it; he SLIT the beast's throat! Set that villain into a frenzy, it did!"

Well, THAT doesn't sound good.

"A frenzy? How many men did it take to stop him?"

"Aye, well, that's where his evil craft comes into play. We had half of our force, a good 175 men and women of Berk, surrounding him. Dagur just keeled over dead from Nadder poison a la that beast he had pinned, and Fin lunges towards Spitelout. Like the devil himself, his broken sword-pommel extended into a FULL sword, and it FLAMED! The sword itself was on FIRE as he buried it into Spitelout, picked him up by the stab, and flung him away!"

Normally, I would suspect Stoic of being drunk right about now; coming back from nest searches he would have brought a special barrel of mead and drunk away the pain of a bad loss, causing him to exaggerate details. Right now, though, he walked to straight and was too solemn to be drunk. And Astrid didn't question a single detail, so I had to go along with Hiccup possessing a flaming sword-device. Odd, but he'd be the one to try.

"He just sat there looking at the dying beast, so we charged him…"

"Biggest mistake of our lives…" Astrid chimed in. Normally she had the balls to interject her own opinion into any official matter (no pun here, you really just have to see it to believe it) but this was the only time she really spoke since returning.

"Wha' happened next?"

Stoic's fists resumed their clenched phase with even more rigor than before, and his eyebrows scrunched into an obviously-angry look.

"I'm not sure how the demon did it. Astrid had tried to rush him, but he paralyzed her with a LOOK! Just looking at her was enough to freeze her until the fight was over, Gobber. He brandished that flaming sword as if it had been custom-fitted for him by the gods, and moved with an ungodly speed. The rate and ease at which he cut through my men was astounding…I even took a few shots at him, and came away with my hammer SLICED IN HALF and a cauterized stab wound in my lower stomach."

Well, that was certainly interesting.

"Wai', you got stabbed in the stomach and he cut your stone war-hammer in half?"

Astrid chimed in again, "Long ways, too."

Stoic just angrily glared in front of us, refusing to show me how much this really bothered him.

"Aye. He got that sword stuck in me, so what does he do? Retracts in into that handle and whips out a SHIELD that worked just like the sword. He had this gem-inlayed metal arm-guard, no different from any other, except it magically from a shield of ICE around it!"

"Have you been drinking the defeat-ale again?"

"He's not kidding, Gobber. The last man he killed before we fled, the ice flung off of the arm-guard and embedded itself into Sloan's chest…" Well, it's nice to see Astrid talking again, at least.

"So after that you all 'retreated?' Sounds like cause to scream like a little girl!"

Stoic glared at me, but directed his gaze towards Astrid in an expectant manner.

"He told me to run, and something about preparing Berk…I think he's planning on wiping us out here, so he can get to us all…"

"Why would he do that? Does he just thirst for our blood?"

"Maybe, Gobber. Tell anyone who's not tired to begin defensive preparations. I'm going to get a drink, or ten…"

Stoic walked into the Great Hall without even offering me a drink (which I might need, seeing as my apprentice just killed half of Berk). I turned to Astrid, ready to pound the info out of her. I didn't expect for her to beat me to the punch.

"Can we talk, _very_ privately?"

"Yea, ya think? Come on, let's go to that cove…"

We walked slightly throughout the woods. It was about an hour before sunset, so we should have plenty of time to talk before it gets dark. Or we may wait, so it's dark and faces can't be see; something tells me just a little bit of shyness may help the truth come out here.

As we got closer to our destination, I found myself thinking back to the other things Astrid has confided in me. Just after Hiccup left, most of the fingers pointed to Astrid, and because of that Stoic was in a delicate position when it came to choosing a new heir. Astrid would have been the favorite choice despite Snotlout's blood-connection, but with Hiccup's scandal staining her name it would have been hard to choose her. What Stoic did was considered "mentoring" for normally bad kids; he would take Astrid on as a shadow or apprentice, and if she showed promised then one day she might take his spot. It was a genius compromise in how it restored Astrid's standing, but part of it has always bothered Astrid.

Aye, the poor girl's been torn in two ever since Hiccup left. For all of that tough façade, Astrid turns out to have feelings after all; it ate away at her conscience that she had run out Hiccup, and she tried to bottle everything inside of her. It really wasn't good for her, thinking that she sent off someone as helpless as Hiccup to die, but then the thought that Hiccup might have been murdered put a little bit of fire back in her stomach. She told me that she needed to find Hiccup and convince him to come back, but when we found "Fin" she believed it her mission to catch him (so did Stoic, and Astrid and Stoic bonded over this…).

We reached the edge of the cove, and started to make our way down. We had found this cove after returning from our first meeting with "Fin" while at the Bog Burglars. Astrid had gone out in search of wherever Hiccup spent all his time, and stumbled upon this place. There weren't any true clues about Hiccup, but we found black scales that could have belonged to his Night Fury. Now, armed with the knowledge that Fin is Hiccup, I think I know why these scales were here: if this cove wasn't a home away from home for Hiccup, then I think _I'll _claim it! The place is gorgeous, fresh water streams into the pond, shade where you need it and plenty of space to move around.

We reached the bottom of the cove; the sun hadn't set, but it was out of sight and the entire floor was covered by a shadow. It wasn't too dark to see Astrid, but it gave just a little bit anonymity. Not that it matters, seeing as I know who's speaking to me, but still.

"All right Astrid, what is it?"

I took a seat on a rock, and expected Astrid to do the same. Instead, she still stood and slowly paced back and forth.

"…Okay, so you know that we think Fin murdered Hiccup. Or we did, at least; I think most people think he kidnapped him."

"Aye, I'm not stupid. What do you think happened?"

"Uh…I had always thought he knew where Hiccup was, but wouldn't tell us. I thought he was an evil, cold-hearted jerk…"

"You 'thought?' Has something changed since he killed half the tribe?"

Astrid shuddered when I mentioned killing half of the tribe, as if she had tried to put the thought out of her head. She looked away, but still answered my question.

"No…it was just before…_that_."

I gave Astrid a look that said "well, GO ON" and she got the hint.

"I tried to interrogate him when I had him on his knee, but I didn't get anywhere. It was as if he found the situation funny…like messing with me was some irony that only he got…"

Yea, it probably WAS.

"When he tried to give his 'speech' I tried walking up to him. I'm not sure if I wanted to attack him…something just felt off. It seemed too familiar, like someone was taunting me about something I didn't fully remember…"

Oh, that I can understand.

"Like someone making fun of you for what you did while drunk?"

She paused for a second and almost looked disappointed in me.

"Yea, Gobber, let's go with that…"

I gave her a fake-grin and a big thumb up, then waited for her to continue.

"I was completely silent, yet he turned on me as if he expected me, and he just stared at me…Gobber, his eyes were…it looked just like Hiccup, before he disappeared…"

Well, she finally figured it out. So much for being the smart one!...wait, Hiccup told me (that still counts as me finding out, right? I'm the smart one now, right?)

I tried my best to seem surprised. I arched my 'brows as high as I could get them, and tried to let my jaw go slack just a little.

"I know it sounds crazy, but it fits. Hiccup vanishes, and this new Fin guy just appears and becomes a legend. If he has a Night Fury, he could have left here whenever he wanted to, and those scales we found here would mean this was his old hideout!"

Oh boy, I'm not really sure what to do here. Hiccup never told me what to do if his _crush_ figured it out…

"Astrid, aren't you forgetting a few things? Like his _army_ or all of our men that he _killed_?"

Astrid gave a pause here. I could tell she was trying to process what I said. I mean, _I_ find it hard to believe, and I met the guy!

"It's him, Gobber. I can't believe I didn't notice sooner…the way he tried to talk everyone into changing their minds, all of his crazy gadgets…it HAS to be him."

"Well, then what do you plan on doing? You can't really PROVE this to Stoic without making him furious. I think he'd be insulted by the idea; he's not been stable since Hiccup left, ya know."

"I'm not going to tell _anyone_. I need to talk with him, Gobber. When he comes to Berk, I need to see him. If I can get him to reveal himself, to come _back_, I can fix this mess I'm in…"

"And you think he's going to be willing to help you?"

"Why not? He's always wanted to prove himself, and he typically will help anyone who wants it. This is the best way to fix things, Gobber.

I scratched my chin, thinking about how to explain this. I'm pretty sure that Hiccup _doesn't_ want to come back, but I don't know how to get that across to Astrid.

"If he can actually do all the stuff you say he did, why hasn't he come back to prove himself already? If he wanted to help us, why did you say he's coming to finish us?"

Astrid froze; she completely stopped pacing, didn't move a muscle, and tried to process what I said. She obviously hadn't gotten this far ahead in her thinking.

"Ya think that going forward to him might not be the best idea? Like maybe make it easier for him to get _revenge_?"

Now, Astrid was more shocked than frozen. Either way, I had broken through to her and made her consider more possibilities.

"Revenge?"

"Oh aye, revenge. Why do you think he left in the first place? You really think that he's going to be kind and save you from the Nadder _this time?_"

Astrid never answered. More than one, she looked like she was about to speak, but stopped herself before saying anything. I had finally gotten her to consider what might have happened to Hiccup's mind, and I could tell she didn't like these possibilities. I can only imagine what kind of stress it will be once she figures out that she could be to blame for his mental state.

"Ye' clearly need more time to think on this _alone_. I'm heading back; try to be home before midnight, will ya? I don't need your mom all up in my britches for 'keeping her angel out late at night doing _Thor knows what_'!"

Astrid shuddered at that implication, probably remember the talking to her mom gave her after that incident. As I climb back out of the cove, I looked back down on the whole scene. There was hardly any light left. I could have SWORN that I saw a small bit of light, almost a spark, coming from the top edge of the cove.

If I had known of the powerful dragon that had been watching us, I would have freaked out. Especially since it had been slightly grinning the whole time…

(Thuggory's POV)

_*^How's he been doing, Toothless?^*_

_*Better. It's been two days since Stormfly died, and he was a wreck that whole first day. Since then he's been…good, actually. I think he's trying to contain something inside of him.*_

_*^Can't say I would blame him. Killing ¼ of your own village by hand would give _anyone_ trouble, not even mentioning Stormfly. It's a miracle he's even able to focus on his work._^*

*_Yea, I think it distracts him a little. And meeting the new Council Rider had helped him focus on the order. I think we can start touring the clans tomorrow.*_

_^*Thug, Toothless! Don't leave me out of this! I don't get to speak with many people!*^_

Oh yea, we forgot about Smee the Cursed. Or I suppose it should be 'Smee the Blessed' now. What are the odds that someone born mute would gain the ability to mind speak on the SAME DAY as me?

^*_Sorry, Smee. We're just discussing Hiccup's mental state…*^_

_^WELL DO IT ELSEWHERE OR LEARN TO HIDE YOU VOICE FROM ME, THUG. I CAN HEAR _YOU_ AND ONLY _YOU_!^_

Crap, of course Hiccup heard all that.

_*^Sorry! You just go back to your smithing!^*_

^_I'm trying!^_

I started to walk away, but Hiccup called us back.

_^On second thought, I'm done with Smee's first batch. Come over here, let's try it!^_

We all walked over, with Smee and his Boneknapper Mauser out in front, Toothless behind them, and then Skullcrusher and I. The only person who didn't immediately come over was the Stormcutter's rider (and the Stormcutter). They both stood over in the corner of the training ring. Apparently, they'll come as far as the lowest level of the Sanctuary, but won't approach Hiccup until he's alone.

"Well, let's see how it goes. _Everyone_ on the Council will have their own mask, distinct from the others. For yours, Smee, I took into account your dragon's bone-armor and the influences you have read the most. Remember telling me about that book from those German tribes? Since that influenced Mauser's name, I thought it fitting to alter your helmet (if only slightly)."

Smee took the helmet and put it on. Smee was a short, but stocky child growing up, so despite his muteness our tribe saw him useful as manual labor, which is more than most mutes. His blond hair has nothing strange about it except how it's cut: he keeps it short, never touching he shoulders, and keeps a short beard. He may only be 19, but he easily looks, well, 19. His beard combines with his sideburns and mustache to create a full look, and that's about it. Add on blue eyes, and you've got yourself a strange-looking Viking.

The helmet was just as strange, but it worked well. It wasn't a full Speed helmet like Hiccup's, but it wasn't a Power helmet like mine. Hiccup's is smooth, with just enough room for the eyes and a small assortment of holes for optimal breathing regulation, while mine matched Skullcrusher and is built think and padded for rough encounters. Hiccup said that the helmet should match the strength of the dragon, which leaves me confused as to the strengths of Smee's helmet.

To match his Boneknapper, Smee's helmet looks as if it is made of bone. Hiccup crafted each Gronkle Iron piece to be hollow and shaped like a bone, then spent FOREVER trying to make it _look_ like bone. The result made it look like Smee was wearing a something's skull. The jawbone traced over his own jawbone, and the teeth gritted together in front of his own mouth. If Smee opened his mouth, his mask did the same, meaning he could eat without much interference. The skull-helmet had no nose, so Smee's nose just barely stuck out. For eyes, the skull's sockets opened up much wider then Smee' eyes, so he could see without any blocks and the skin around his eyes was visible. The rest of the helmet did not resemble a person's skull. Two horns started at his ears (with holes to allow for hearing) and went up until they stood 5 inches above his head, pointing slightly forward.

"The only _human_ influence other than the base shape is the name, _Angst inkarniert_. I figured that since a Boneknapper's great weapon is its fearsome appearance, its rider should match. The rest of the armor is the same style, but has actually Gronkle Iron armor underneath with the bone stuff attached on top."

_*^It's incredible. It even feels like bone! How'd you do that?^*_

"Not easily. Can't reveal a trade secret, now can I?"

"So, Hiccup, when you're ready come find us. We need to discuss when we tour the villages. We did win, now we need to train the new riders and start setting up the Order. We've already got half the Council member we need in this room alone…"

I tried to give Hiccup a chance to speak with the Stormcutter's rider. Fortunately, everyone (save Toothless) followed me out, leaving them alone…

(Toothless' POV)

Thuggory lead everyone one out, and it wasn't any secret why: Hiccup needed to talk with this rider, and everyone wanted it to go well. Apparently, it's supposed to be rare to find Council riders (despite the fact that we three already) so we don't want to lose this person.

Unfortunately, we've never even seen them without a mask or even spoken out loud, just this mind-speaking stuff.

Hiccup put away his last few tools as the rider approached him, horny mask still on (Thor Almighty, that sounded so wrong).

"If it wasn't made obvious, I'm Hiccup and this is Toothless, the Night Fury. We ride by the names 'Fin' and 'Fate' for cover. You are?"

The rider didn't immediately answer, but instead slightly edged away as if something about Hiccup's very unthreatening presence was off-setting. The rider outstretched an arm, lightly touching Hiccup's chin, before startling backwards.

"Yes, and that would be my chin. Good find…"

"…could it be? What are the odds?"

Hiccup (and me, if I'm honest) arched his eyebrows at that statement.

"…Odds of what, exactly?"

The rider slowly took of his (or her, judging by the voice) helmet, finally revealing her face…and neither I nor Hiccup found anything special. Just a normal woman, in her late thirties or early forties.

"…was that supposed to be dramatic, with a reality-breaking reveal? Because that didn't happen for me…"

*_Watch it with the sarcasm, you don't need to run _another_ female off…_*

_^Toothless! She's old enough to be my mother!^_

"Well, _Hiccup_, let me guess a few things about you. You are from Berk, Stoic's son, correct?"

Hiccup tensed up at the mention of Berk, and looked visibly bothered at the mention of Stoic. Probably not good timing, since we just wiped out 260+ of Berk's warriors. And Hiccup had to have killed a good third of those men himself.

"…yes. I take it you've heard the tales of the legendary screw-up?"

This time the woman looked a little bit surprised, but dismissed it much quicker than Hiccup dismissed Berk.

"No, I haven't been there in…years."

"Okay. Who _are_ you, and how did you know me then?"

_*Only took us five minutes of human "social interaction" to get to what's important. Gods, I love being a dragon…*_

Hiccup didn't even acknowledge my complaint. I feel a little bit unappreciated…

"My name is…Valka; I also happen to be your mother…"

Hiccup looked stunned. I could tell he had been thinking this out in his head, and that _that_ had never crossed his mind. He moved his head back in surprise, and his eyes were as big as he was shocked. I got tired of waiting for his reply.

_*Well, if this isn't a touching reunion. So, _mama,_ you planning on sticking around? I hear Hiccup's been struggling to dress himself recently…*_

If that doesn't knock Hiccup out of his stupor, then we may have to get _Astrid_ in here to jolt him back.

WHACK

Yup, he's back. And the bump on my head proves it.

"Mother? _You're_ my mother? But, I mean…how?"

Poor Hiccup. I can see the gears in his head spinning, but nothing is working. If he gets any more frantic, then…well, I don't know. I don't actually know any good 'frantic antic' jokes…huh. I need to go fix that soon, because Hiccup seems to do this a lot know…

"Cloudjumper here took me when you were a baby…and I just never came back to Berk. I knew that I couldn't bring Cloudjumper, and suddenly Berk felt a lot less like home…"

"I hear that…" Hiccup mumbled under his breath, forgetting that _everyone_ in the room is either a dragon with superb hearing, or has been bonded long enough to have superb hearing.

"Tell me, why did _you_ leave Berk? I assume it had something to do with 'Toothless'?"

*_And girl problems…*_

WHACK

Hiccup isn't pulling any punches today. This ALMOST makes me think about not messing with him.

Almost.

"Girl problems? Doesn't sound like you take after your father much…"

"Not at all. I still probably weigh as much as his _arm_…"

Valka just waited expectantly for Hiccup to actually answer the question, and finally Hiccup caved. He spent about 15 minutes explaining all of the 'hardships' about being a sarcastic pain in the butt in a Viking village, then another 15 talking about meeting me and making our plan to leave. 15 minutes to catch her up to how we got here, and a final 15 BORING minutes about special weapons and gadgets he had made.

By the time that he had finished that, the Skrill flew in from the opening in the ceiling on the other side of the Pit (which is what we're calling this underground area from now on).

_^Hey! Where have you been?^_

_^*Scouting out villages. What's happened here?*^_

_^Village scouting? Are you looking for a suitable rider?^_

_^*Yes. What's going on here?*^_

_^Good, the sooner you find on the better. You would make four rider-pairs, then we would need two more. That, and we need to set up the Order's standing with the clans…^_

_^*Understood, now What. Happened. Here.?*^_

_^Sorry, meet my mother Valka, the third Council rider, and her Stormcutter Cloudjumper…^_

_^*Mother? Good for you, I guess. Where's the food?*^_

Ooh. Great question, even from the sparky one…

^_Same place as always, in the water…^_

The Skrill mocked Hiccup by rolling his eyes and mouthing what Hiccup said before flying off, presumably to find some fish.

"So, uh, _mom_…what all did the Bewilderbeast tell you about the Order? Anything?"

"Yes, he told me a lot about it. I know enough to make it transition smoothly, if that's what you're looking for."

Hiccup nodded absentmindedly, as if this either didn't surprise him or concern him in the least. Something was on his mind, and he kept looking at me, which makes me nervous. For all the fun I have with him, sometimes I am genuinely afraid of what he's thinking about…

"Did the Bewilderbeasts have any…regenerative powers? The ability to regrow things?"

Valka was taken a little off by the question, but collected her thoughts on the subject.

"…Yes, I think so, actually. It took longer depending on the volume and severity, but they did have the ability to slowly regrow new limbs… Why?"

_*Yea, why?*_

Hiccup seemed to be pondering something, and he kept looking at _me._ At first it was unsettling, but now I'm really concerned. I don't know what all these 'bonds' and 'claims' can do, so I'm in over my head here.

"I think that, when we claimed both Bewilderbeasts (you know, they day you attacked me for killing them when _clearly _Toothless would have done more damage), we got their regenerative factor. I know that I gained some sort of ice ability focused by gems, but I think that we've both gained some of their strength, mental toughness, and the ability to regrow stuff…"

Valka, to her credit, _tried_ to take this all in at once. I don't think she knew about claiming a dragon's power.

"O…kay. Aside from the, uh, ice shield, what makes you think that?"

I nodded as she asked the quest, and looked to Hiccup earnestly; I REALLY wanted to know what this meant. I wasn't actually prepared for what came next.

"When I made Toothless self-controlled fin, I noticed something…I think his missing fin has started to grow back."

Author's Note: Not much to report. I finally got to have another Berk POV, which was a nice change for me. School starts back for me late this month, but practices start back tomorrow, so that could slow down updates. I don't typically write during practice hours anyways, but this takes that option off the table. As usually, leave reviews!


	18. Who Says You Can't Go Home?

Exodus and Return-us

Chapter 18

Hiccup's POV

Six months. It's amazing how much can change in six months. Nine dragon-riding tribes (working on the tenth), five Council members already, and Toothless has already gained fully independence with his tail. His stump has grown back half-way, so I created an apparatus to slide over his stump and extend it into a full fin. As his stump grows, I'll make the thing smaller until he is completely ready to fly on his own. This way he gets used to controlling everything the natural way gradually, instead of one day just trying to fly with two good fins again.

But yea, almost ten riding tribes. All of the tribes have come to terms with the nature of our Order, and understand that Order Members are not loyal to their native tribes, yet they still have all signed on. It's gone really well, and has benefitted everyone involved so far. It becoming obvious to each tribe that the more dragon riders a clan has, the more it can do; this also means the tribes are going to bump elbows more. I've already heard whispers of uniting the clans, or at least meeting for a new treaty soon.

And FIVE Council riders, just like that! I can't really believe it myself. We already had my mom (oh yea, there's that too) with Cloudjumper, Smee with Mauser, and Thug with Skullcrusher. One of Cami's friends, Bordi, bonded with another Stormcutter. Bordi's about 24 and a good fighter, mostly silent, and possesses wits that make it worthwhile to listen whenever she does speak. Just the type of person we need on the Council.

About the fourth or fifth tribe we trained after the battle with Dagur had this absolute meathead named Mame, who spoke loud, often, and unintelligently. At first, I didn't even like the guy, until he bonded with a Rumblehorn like Skullcrusher. Naturally, being the "divine founder of the Order" that I am, I had to spend a lot of time with the guy. Turns out, he was actually quite intelligent, but played dumb around everyone because it was easier. Said it wasn't fair to "have all this muscle, personality, _and_ smarts," so he hid the last part to make people feel better. That's none of my business, but I was glad that we didn't have a blockhead sitting in one of our Council seats.

"HICCUP!"

"GAH!" I yelped as I jumped a foot. I probably let loose a few words I'm not proud of, but I was pretty sure I only _mentally_ screamed bloody murder….

"I caught you daydreaming!...back at more of these plans? Don't you have _enough_ gadgets yet?"

That's right, before my mind wondered off, I had been sitting here drawing up some plans. Normal stuff, you know: wrist blades, spring-loaded forearm staffs, and a new design for a miniature cannon based off of pressurized air. That one's a longshot, but it could fire small darts at long ranges without hardly any sound.

"Yes, more of these plans. I'm trying to give every Council member a special array of utilities, while still having special weapons for any Member to use…"

Thug, who I know realized was the person I was talking to, just laughed.

"For a man who doesn't want us to meddle in the affairs of others, you sure do want to weaponize us…"

"Well, yea. No one will want to talk to someone they can easily cut down. When a guy wearing more blades then a butcher's wall hops off of a _Rumblehorn_, then people want to sit down and talk things out…"

"Haha, whatever 'Fin.' As long as I get that big mace with the chain option, I'll be cool. Wait, you _did_ see the graduation ceremony, didn't you? You know that all of the tribes are ready, except for-"

"YES, Thug, I was there. I think we need to host a summit for all of the clan leaders. We can be a neutral site for them to meet and talk over a new treaty, or maybe even get started on these rumors…"

Thug seemed surprised by my mention of 'rumors' and arched his eyebrows expectantly.

"Oh, don't tell me you haven't heard? With the freedom brought by flight, the clans will start clashing more often. There's talk of uniting the tribes, now that it may be possible…"

"Really? You think that they will go for that?"

I thought for a moment instead of replying immediately. I hadn't really put much thought into this yet.

"Possibly, but I doubt it. I think a tighter alliance would do better. More summits, more unification, but no one tribe to lead them all, so to speak. See what I mean?"

"Yea, yea; these _are_ Vikings, so they won't do too well if they think their being ruled. What do you plan to do about this then?"

"What, you're just going to put me on the spot like that?...tell you what, send out messengers to each tribe. In one week's time, I will hold a summit meeting for all Chiefs, Heirs, and Generals at the Sanctuary. I've got some other…pressing issues to speak to them about anyways…"

"Ah, I knew you wouldn't leave Berk alone forever. Think enough time's past for you to go back there yet?"

I gave Thug a flat look that clearly told him to drop that subject.

"I WAS talking about the remaining villagers at the Berserker's home island…but yea, that too I guess."

"Alright, I'll go gather the messengers. I will see you back there shortly, then?"

"Yea, Thug. Safe flying."

"You too."

Thug nodded before walking out of the building I had been accosted when I arrived. I began to pack up everything I had lying around, which really was mostly papers, and called for Toothless. By the time I was ready to go, so was he, and we were off for our home. The flight back was as uneventful as ever, with Toothless asking me if I scored while staying at the last tribe (like usual), and me telling him to go screw himself (like normal). Yup, sadly there was nothing odd about that flight.

In the days coming up to the meeting, I kept most of the dragons busy. The Gronkles worked on creating a large roundtable at the bottom of the main floor of the Sanctuary, so that you could look up and see the sky through the opening. I had a little bit more personal touch for the seats everyone would have, adding stuffing and using a felt-like material I had acquired a while back as a covering.

Aside from the Gronkles' work, most of the dragons spent time 'preening' the island or stockpiling the food. I planned on having pretty much anything available at any time; after all, if I'm throwing a meeting for Vikings, I need to bring a massive feast with it.

I spent most of my time, aside from the chairs, in the Bunker, working at my forge. I planned on giving all of the heirs a customized dagger on their arrival, since all of the Chiefs already had a sword. The dagger would of course be made of Gronkle Iron, but I would work in color variants or special patterns based upon each individual heir. I wrote myself a note to thank my mother for giving me a small notebook to write down important stuff about each tribe, because that's the only way I was remembering all of these people.

To top off all of our hard work, Toothless even pitched in. I still don't know where he was, but he took naps out of everyone's way. That's really more than we expected, too…

When the guests arrived, the food was the first thing they went for. Screw the thousand or so dragons, the hidden stone fortress, and the Gronkle Iron craftsmanship: Viking See Food—Viking Eat Food.

The first day was spent feasts and telling tales. The battle with Dagur was a popular request, along with _any _of my stories. I heard more about everyone's reactions to me than I had ever imagined possible; apparently, I did a _really_ good job of establishing my presence in the Archipelagos. I heard tales of my 'witchcraft,' of how I singlehandedly defeated a mountain (that one was Thug's story), and how I melt the heart of women with just my gaze. On that note, apparently I wear my mask because "if my full face were revealed, there would be no such thing as an upright woman anymore." Not kidding. Thuggory AND Cami laughed at that one for a long time.

The second and third days of the conference, the gathered Chiefs argued and bickered and yelled about uniting the clans. By midway the third day (with no progress), I thought I was going to have to give a speech about compromise and then steer them towards a stronger alliance, but things suddenly took a turn for the best. I guess Vikings just prefer to make no progress before reaching a conclusion, but I wouldn't know: my dad never took me to anything like this.

Within two hours, all of the Chiefs had written out a new Coalition. All of the clans would be independent, and no one would rule over everyone, but any major problems would be brought before the remaining neutral Chiefs to be decided. Yea, really; two days and that's all they came up with. But it was stronger than before, so I can't really complain. Everyone decided to break for the day, and come back on the fourth day to begin discussing the 'pressing matters' at hand.

I decided that my issues should go last, so that the Coalition would have a chance to work out its own affairs first. Occasionally, I caught Thug eyeing the new Chief of the Bloody Knuckles, but that was literally the only thing that interested me. Sure, I paid attention and took notes on everything, but it didn't mean I liked any of it.

Finally, now everyone is done. The last speak just handed me the floor. I've been standing off to the side against a wall, so I walked forward (out of the shadows) to address the floor. It was a wide array of clans, with most clans having 4 or 5 people there to represent them. I scanned the room from behind my mask, and noticed that every single person met my eyes: I had everyone's attention, which was not something that anyone else could have said so far. The room was silent (another thing you couldn't say) and I prepared my first issues.

"Chiefs…Heirs…and Generals…I have two issues I feel it best to be handled by you. You are all aware that, in the battle with Dagur, all of the Berserker warriors were slain. However, the men once commanded by Drago Bludvist, who were taken over by Dagur, were mostly spared. We are here to decide their fate, as well as the Berserkers who stayed behind instead of going to war against me…"

I began to pace around the room a little, making sure to rotate to allow me to see everyone's faces. Many generals had already leaned towards their Chiefs, already talking about my issue.

"There are two main choices that I propose, but do constrict you to. The first: that the Berserker's be absorbed by another clan, and the same to Drago's men (with a different clan). Basically, this means that they will enter a new clan in search for manual labor. My second proposition: that we allow Drago's men to join the remaining Berserkers. This new clan may continue the traditions of the Berserker tribe, and possibly even be trained for dragon riding."

Uproar, just like that. I had kinda expected that, but _dang_ did it come fast. I waited patiently for a few minutes, then had Thuggory smack a gong I had constructed for this very reason. Everyone settled down, and we were eventually able to talk to options over. Eventually, we came to the conclusion that we would combine Drago's men into the Berserkers, but would wait at least a year before training them to handle dragons.

"Very well, it is settled. My second issue is not one for the Coalition. I came before you now as a friend and an ally, and I would like you all to treat this next discussion as such…"

I had intrigued everyone in the room, especially those who knew what I was bringing up, like Thug and Cami.

"I would like your input on what to do about Berk. I warned everyone that I would not punish neutrality, but that I would not tolerate an act of war. So far, Berk lost 350 men in the battle with Dagur, one fourth of which I killed personally. Berk has lost over half of its entire population, but I do not find this sufficient. I plan on taking action against Berk for the wrongs they have given to me, but I want to know your opinions on what those should be."

Before me lay a room full of shocked faces. They had heard that I killed a lot of Berkians, but I had never given credit to the actual amount rumored. Now, they had the truth, and I was telling them I was going for more blood. I would understand if they did not understand.

"And just what gives you the right for any further action?!" an angry voice from the side came. It was one of the closer tribes to Berk, who's Chief was good friend with my father. I can even remember trips to their island when I was little.

Despite the fact that I anticipated this, I was angered. Just talking about Berk was starting to get under my skin. I tore off my mask, and stared down the crowd.

"I don't _need_ anyone's permission to do this! Not after all that they've done to me! They're lucky I don't rape and pillage the whole island!" I burst out, not able to control my anger. Once I realized what I had done, I calmly slipped my mask back on, as if I had planned it. That was one thing I learned: never show anyone what you considered a mistake, but make them think you have a plan. It goes a long way towards your appearance.

_*Well, _that_ was unexpected.*_

_*^Tell me about it. I think gray-beard over there may have wet his pants…^*_

"Ah…so the rumors about Hiccup were true…from what I've heard, I can understand your frustration. But I don't think it merits destroying an entire clan…"

Others around the room who hadn't recognized me suddenly erupted in whispering. I could hear almost all of their whispers clearly, and I heard several ideas being tossed around.

"Forgive my outburst, but this is not an issue I take lightly. I don't find the idea of slaughtering my former residence appealing, but I don't find it repelling either. I am open to suggestions for proper reprimandation…"

Instantly, everyone had an idea. Instead of a yelling match, it was more "whoever spoke first had the floor" kinda deal.

"I saw just cut off their access to the outside world.

"Torch anything bigger than a fishing boat."

"Just never teach them to train dragons. That oughta leave them in the dust now."

"Why don't you bring them before us for a proper trial?"

Wait, I like that one. It makes them have to rebut everything they've done, which they can't do. They'll have to sit there and know that their fate rests on how their trial will go, knowing that it won't look good. _I'll put them through a little bit of the Hell I've gone through_.

"HEY! I like that one! A trial it is…I will take the Order there to inform them, and escort their ships here."

"Really, Hiccup? You want to _try_ your old clan? Isn't that kinda of…boring?" Thug asked.

To be honest, yes. This idea would bore most Vikings, but I know my father hates breaking traditions, which means he will suffer anything the Coalition would put him through. The fact that the Coalition will judge him may even make it sting even more. That, and having to watch his actions bring the ruin of his tribe will damage his psyche far more than I could do with a blade.

"Truth is, yes, _if you're a Viking_. That being said, I think that this is the best way for my revenge…"

(Thuggory's POV)

It was decided that, although we would leave for Berk immediately, that Berk's trial would not be for six months. The clan leaders that it was a "cool down" period to let all parties think the situation through, but it was really just a curtesy towards Berk. I think a lot of people could tell that Hiccup held bottled anger towards his former clan, and that this option would give him a chance to regain his cool. It didn't matter to Hiccup at all; I think he's confident that six more months won't dull what he's felt his whole life.

We took all of our Council members to Berk, and made regular stops at any village along the way. We said that they were to make sure we were well rested, but we really just wanted the Skrill to have a chance to choose someone. We are SO close to having a functioning Council, and that would allow us to expand well beyond the Archipelago. We've been ahead of schedule so far, and finding the Skrill a rider really should be a priority. Hiccup's even given multiple speeches on being "understanding" towards any choice the Skrill may have, in case the rider is not particularly someone we get along with.

We landed at Berk under the cover of darkness, and went to some hole in the ground with a decent sized lake. Hiccup said the place was beautiful in the daytime; _I_, however, think it a great place to get trapped in the middle of the night.

Of course, I didn't _actually_ say that; that would be silly. With Hiccup returning to Berk, everyone _else_ has been on edge. No one wants to push Hiccup over the edge, and even his mother hasn't spoken much. I would have figured she would be grilling him about what happened in the years she was gone, but everyone has felt reserved. Oddly enough, Hiccup is the only person who _isn't_ being quiet; everyone feels awkward so as to not upset Hiccup, and he's completely oblivious.

At least he's taking it well so far. I don't know, maybe it's this cove; he seems to have fond memories of this place, so that's a start.

We went over the plan one last time. I would go 'soften them up,' hoping that they would take a peaceful summons. When that inevitably FAILS, 'Fin' will ride in with the rest of the Council behind him to give the summons a little bit more credibility. If THAT doesn't do it, then Hiccup is authorized to attack at his own discretion.

We spent most of the next day planning things out and scouting the village. It was mostly cloudy all day, providing great cover for aerial scouting. As the sky just started turning colors, as it always does before the sun sets, I flew out away from the island before flying straight back. I made sure to stay IN sight of all lookouts, so by the time I was close I could already hear the shouts of "DRAGONS ON THE HORIZON!" As I got closer, it turned into "_DRAGON_ ON THE HORIZON," so they had noticed I was alone. Next up, I stayed right at the top of their bola-range, easily avoiding any projectiles despite being a rather heavy load, while scanning the village for Stoic. I spotted him coming out of his house at the top of the hill, and directed Skullcrusher to land in front of him.

_*^There he is, boy. I want a heavy thud, but only defensive stances. We're not going to attack unless Hiccup gives the signal…^*_

Skullcrusher grunted (which is most of what his replies consist of) and dropped nearly straight down, heading for the spot I pointed out. We landed with an impressive THUD, and we were immediately rushed by an _overwhelming force_.

Er, not really. It was just one teenage boy with curly horns and a mace charging us from the back flank. Without even looking, Skullcrusher flicked him away with his tail, not doing any damage but sure to leave his head spinning. From somewhere off to the side, I heard the kid get mocked.

"Wow, Snotlout. You sure know how to bring'em down…"

"Snotlout? Snotlout Jorgenson? Wow, I coulda predicted you being the blockhead type…Ah, Stoic. So good to see you…"

I dismounted Skullcrusher casually and removed my helmet, connecting it to its holder on the saddle. I decided that I would seem much friendlier, despite my heavy armor, if my face was plain to see.

"THUGGORY?! What in Hel's blazes are you doing on that thing?!"

Stoic pointed to Skullcrusher with his war-hammer, but not threateningly…yet. The surprise that _I_ was under the helmet had put him off.

"Oh, this guy? This is Skullcrusher. Turns out, there's a new Order in the world Stoic. Things are changing. The 10 neutral clans have formed a new Coalition, allied themselves with the Order, and summoned Berk for a disciplinary trial. That's why I'm here."

I could see Stoic's face twist with each thing I told him; first, he was understandably confused by the Order, then surprised and angered at the Coalition, angered further at the alliance, and taken aback by the summons.

"New Coalition of the tribes?! Why weren't we summoned for this! That is our right! Have you all forgotten about us, that WE stood with Dagur against the dragons when no one else would?!"

Stoic was beginning to get angry, and I could see Gobber (or what's left of him. Last time we met he had all appendages) and a blonde girl begin making their way to him.

"That's the thing. Most tribes didn't really _want_ Dagur to win. Dragons aren't what we thought them to be; that had this ugly ruler, and with it dead, the raids all stopped. How long has it been since you had a raid?"

Stoic didn't answer (likely, he wouldn't answer) but Gobber piped up as he finally made it to Stoic.

"Unusually long, if ya ask me!"

"Besides, you're on the table for a trial between you and Fin. Seems you two have a feud to settle, and he's agreed to do it civilly…"

"What would a disgrace to Vikingdom such as that Fin know about civility?!"

"You're going to find out. The 10 Chiefs will serve as a jury, and I will preside over the trial as judge. It's the best deal you have a chance at getting, Stoic."

"What, you think you can take PITY on us!? We would GLADLY fight the dragons to our last breaths!"

Berk's villagers all yelled in agreement with Stoic statement, but Gobber did not seem so confident.

"Well, it definitely would be a slaughter…"

Gobber seems to catch up with the conversation, and apparently he had a question.

"WAIT! You said the '10 Chiefs' but later also included yourself. What happened to your clan?"

"Mutiny. They threw out any who rode a dragon, including their Chief."

"And you let them in the Coalition anyways?"

"That had nothing to do with me…or the Order. The Coalition is by the clans, for the clans."

Time had gone by too quickly, and we had gotten too far off of schedule. I knew Hiccup was waiting for his opportune moment (the drama queen always wanted things perfect) so I knew I needed to give it to him quickly.

"Well, it seems to be getting late. What's the decision, Stoic? Accept the summons to the disciplinary trial, or not?"

Stoic tightened his grip on his hammer, and furrowed his brow. Probably not good for my sake.

"…we are INSULTED by the very MENTION of such a thing! If Fin wants a fight, he can come GET ONE HIMSELF, LIKE A VIKING!"

Oh, if that isn't perfect timing, I don't know what is.

_^*I would bet money that Hiccup takes that as his que…*^_

_*^I wouldn't bet against ya, Skull…^*_

Sure enough, a ballistic whistle came from the clouds behind us. I moved over, seeing as I was standing firmly in the dead middle of the landing zone, and Hiccup is bound to go for the best landing spot.

Toothless came speeding out of the clouds, and within a second he landed full-force when I had just been standing. However, Hiccup was not on his back.

Everyone had shrieked (like little _girls_. Come on, you guys call yourselves Vikings…) as Toothless descended, and more than one call of "NIGHT FURY! GET DOWN!" was rendered.

As everyone got up, the circle around us doubled in size, just like we expected. I guess they don't fear a huge man in huge armor with a huge dragon, but the second a black dragon emerges everyone is scared for their lives… [AN: hehehe…:P]

Suddenly, behind Stoic's house, the Skrill came flying in, with Hiccup STANDING on its head. It swooped low, and Hiccup jumped down and landed on the ground in frontof Toothless on one knee, with his back to Stoic.

Before Hiccup rose, the Skrill flew back up into the sky and the other Council riders emerged from the clouds. I stood to Toothless' left, and our other Rumblehorn flew to his right, while the two Stormcutter landed directly behind them. Because the Stormcutters have a taller standing height, they were easily seen from behind the Rumblehorns. Finally, the Boneknapper dropped out of the sky and landed between the Stormcutters, directly behind Toothless. All of the riders were unarmed, but sat with a perfect posture that gave an eerie sense to all of the spectators. Especially those standing in front, like Stoic, who had a full frontal view of the array.

Hiccup then rose up from one knee, and slowly turned around, fists open and ready to draw a weapon at the slightest sign of trouble. Fin and Stoic locked eyes, seemingly having a staring contest, until Fin whipped out his sword (flaming as usual). It unfolded without a hitch, and he held it at an angle directly above his head (with one hand). Hiccup's other hand dropped to the side, but formed its Ice Shield anyways. There was a sudden CRACK from above, and lightning shot straight down at Hiccup. The bolt directed itself towards Hiccup's blade, and was absorbed by the blade with seemingly no ill effects.

Everyone watching was befuddled; I even saw Stoic begin to mouth "what the…" before trailing off. Just to top things off, the Skrill swooped down, still crackling from the electricity it just sent to Hiccup's blade, and squeezed in between Toothless and the Boneknapper Mauser.

_^*Idiots. _I_ was supposed to be directly behind. You're HUGE, you go in the back.*^_

_^*Yea, yea, whatever. Working on it…*^_

_^Guys, don't screw this up. Make the best of it.^_

Hiccup concluded their little clash before it really got to develop, which was good considering we just surrounded ourselves with enemies.

Stoic was about to speak, but Hiccup wasn't done with his power show yet. He diagonally swiped his blade in Stoic's direction, as if he was trying to cut Stoic down with a blow to the legs. Something that none of the Council knew about was the _wave_ of lightning that came from Hiccup's blade, striking Stoic in the leg and forcing him down. Apparently, the blow wasn't charged enough to kill instantly and wasn't even designed to do permanent harm: it caused Stoic's leg to go rigid and keep Stoic down on his knee for at least a minute.

_^There, now that I've cut down the _other_ biggest ego…^_ Hiccup snipped towards Toothless. It was funny how Toothless was completely unrelated, yet we all knew who that was meant for.

*_Mighty big words for the man who shot someone with lightning on a 'diplomatic' mission…*_

Hiccup didn't respond.

"Ah, Stoic. I assumed you would refuse your trial. I'm here to let you know something…"

Hiccup paused, as if waiting for Stoic to ask 'what?' but Stoic seemed genuinely concerned about the fact he was slapped with lightning and couldn't get up.

"You don't have a choice. You WILL be at that meeting. There is no discussion or resistance; it would be stupid to refuse such an offer anyways…I could cut you down now if I wanted…"

I could see the gears starting to turn in Stoic's head. Of course there's no way that any _ordinary_ mortal could wield _Thor's _element, so crossing Fin suddenly seemed like an even worse idea. Stoic never got a chance to respond, though. Astrid beat him to the punch.

"Well, maybe we would be a little bit more cooperative if we weren't dealing with our heir's murderer…"

Astrid still trying to turn the tables and get information on Hiccup. But this time, something seemed off. I couldn't put my finger on it, but she seemed more…reserved.

Hiccup caught on too. He probably loves messing with Berk like this, and hates how Berk tries to use his disappearance to their advantage; no matter what, he always seems in the mood for arguing about this.

"Murderer? Come on, who _really_ believes that? If I wanted him dead, I would brag about it to your face; I _did_ kill half your tribe…"

Astrid hesitated before answering. She was obviously thinking all of her answers through, and considering their implications, something that she had _not_ taken the time to do up to this point.

"Why, _you_ don't even believe I killed him… and isn't that interesting?"

Now, Astrid froze. I guess she had been one of the biggest supporters of the "Fin Killed Hiccup" theory, and now she was called out in front of everyone. For a moment, a flash of timidity appeared on her face before she covered it up and immediately began backpedaling…

_*Whoa, Hiccup _actually_ intimidates her! Who'da thought?*_

_^Hey now…^_

"No, you don't, do you _Astrid_. Why wouldn't you believe that? Could it be that you finally developed your own theory?"

Oh. _Oh._ Astrid figured it out, that Hiccup IS Fin, and she hasn't told anyone. If Hiccup calls her out now, her tribe may turn against her for keeping this information…and Hiccup figured _that_ out, putting him in the forefront of this encounter.

"Well, um…I guess that it's possible that you may just be coincidences…"

Now Astrid was really backpedalling, and Hiccup was enjoying this too much. I still can't blame him, from how Astrid fit into his exodus, but he's making this one _hell _of a return home.

"Incredible. You don't believe that either. Now you're lying to everyone, even yourself, and you don't even know why!...or you do, which makes this all the more interesting…"

Things were getting intense now. Astrid kept giving ground, and Hiccup had already started walking towards her. He was ten steps away from Toothless now, but still 15 more till he reached Astrid.

"Are you trying to _protect_ someone, Astrid, because you seem to be killing yourself here…"

Now, Astrid looked defeated, and continued to give ground in the metaphorical fist-fight. She wasn't even really fighting back. It almost was like she was protecting someone (Hiccup, to be exact), but I couldn't fathom why. My mind was going crazy trying to figure out what I was seeing; it truly seemed as if she was protecting him…

Because she was. She finally backed herself into a metaphorical wall, and was left with two choices: stand up or run. Astrid chose to stand, and you could see her demeanor change immediately. She stood firmer, got a grip of herself, and prepared her comeback.

However, she never got a chance to speak. What seemed to be an epic culmination was interrupted by our Skrill.

_^*THERE she is. That's her, my rider. I want _her_.*^_ he stated very calmly, but also very confidently. He knew the importance of this, and that we would stay by his choice with no questions.

Except for Hiccup. He had some questions. He stopped his march towards Astrid, turned halfway so he could see the Skrill and Astrid, and then looked back.

_^Her? Her _who, _exactly? WHO…is 'her'?^_

Toothless LOST it. He laughed harder than I had ever seen before.

_^*The girl you're addressing, the one called 'Astrid.' SHE will be my rider.*^_

"WHAT?!" Hiccup yelled, now with his back to Astrid and the people around her.

"WHAT DO YOU _MEAN_ YOU WANT HER!? OF ALL THE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD, WHY HER?!"

^*_I've watched her for a while now. She is the best option.*^_

_*You mean that Hiccup is going to be stuck with Astrid for a LONG time?!*_ Toothless chimed in, barely able to speak through his laughter.

"TOOTHLESS, THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR THAT!"

*_I can't believe it! Hiccup's finally getting a date!*_

"SHUT UP, YOU BIG BLACK EEL!"

_*oH _HELL_ NO!*_

"YEA, THAT'S RIGHT! I SAID IT!"

_*Well, I _would_ make fun of you for getting stiff in front of your crush, but no one could look at you and tell!*_

_*^Did Toothless just make fun of his…?^*_

_^*Yea, I think so!*^_

Oh great, and here I thought this was going well. I guess it's up to me to reign things in…

_*^__GUYS!__ HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THAT _BERK_ IS WATCHING US!? FINISH UP HERE, WE CAN DISCUSS THIS LATER!_^* I mentally screamed. It seemed to do the trick, as Hiccup whipped his head around to find some very confused faces.

_^Oh, yea. I just screamed at dragons…awkward.^_

He tried to regain his composure, but the mood had passed. Everyone was now too stunned to even speak, but even after all of that we had made an impression on Berk: we obviously were dealing with things above their heads. I doubt they would even _think_ about trying something now.

"Stoic, you _will_ be at the meeting in six months' time. We will send an escort to remind you. Here…"

Hiccup tossed him a small pouch filled with gold that he always carried around. Stoic caught it, still very confused.

_^Be ready to take off. Skrill, you'll need to carry Astrid.^_

"What is _this_ for?"

"Her." Hiccup said, pointing his sword at Astrid. As he did so, a bolt of lightning shot out and caught her in the chest, paralyzing her for the time being. Toothless ran forward and caught Hiccup as he performed a backflip, while the Skrill lurched forward and grabbed Astrid. We all took off right after them, leaving the Hairy Hooligans very confused and down one blonde warrior…

Author's Note: Yes, so I am giving the Skrill to Astrid. I decided to throw just a little bit of bickering in there at the end, instead of the epic confrontation I was building. I mean, come one; there's no way Hiccup is perfect in _all_ of his confrontations, right?

Leave reviews and tell me what you thought on the chapter overall.


	19. Whoopdie-Do for You

Exodus and Return-us

Chapter 19

Toothless' POV

Everyone has been eerily silent. Even Astrid, who's being carried in the claws of a Skrill, hasn't put up much of a fuss. There hasn't been any chatter over mind-speak nor anyone talking out loud. Despite all of this, you can _hear_ how pissed Hiccup is. It's in the air I guess. We got out of the village and one thing to say, "Hideaway. NOW." and then it was quiet.

We've been flying for 30 minutes, and I can just now see the hideaway. It was one of the backup Sanctuary locations we could have used, but we decided not to have dragons living here. Given its close proximity to Berk, Hiccup decided it best for this place to remain empty, so we converted into a hidden storehouse and stronghold in case we were ever in the area. From the ground, there doesn't seem to be anything there or any way inside, but from the air there is an opening at the top of an unclimbable hill. Once inside, there are many exits for dragons and people, but right now we weren't interested in that.

We flew down to the main floor, and Hiccup dismounted. And he was still very clearly angry. Everyone landed in front of us (somewhat keeping their distance), with the Skrill setting down Astrid the closest to us.

"Set up a perimeter and scout out the surrounding areas. I want to know everything about where we are and what's around us. One of the Stormcutter pairs needs to keep an eye out from Berk's direction for ships, in case they try to catch us."

Hiccup wasn't asking, and it was obvious from his voice. One by one, all of the riders nodded before taking off. I'm not sure if they actually planned on doing the tasks or if they were just giving us space, but I don't think it would matter.

"Hiccup, they couldn't have followed us at night like that. We even did misdirects four times…and they wouldn't reach this place for a day, maybe two, if they _did_ follow us!" Valka reasoned. Either she didn't catch on to the 'leave us alone' vibe or she did and didn't want that to happen.

"Fine. Go do _something_. I've got some choice words for a few people…"

"No, I don't think I'll be leaving either. _Someone_ has got to make sure this doesn't get out of hand…"

"Oh, look, you're trying to be a mom_ now._ How sweet, just a few years late."

Wow. Hiccup really is upset. I don't think I ever would have heard him say something like that. Valka was similarly shocked, and wasn't able to recover from it.

"What? Is _that_ what you think?...fine then. I'll go, but don't expect me to look out for you again."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Astrid, who still hadn't moved, standing there trying to figure out what just happened. I could tell she had heard Hiccup's 'mother' comment, but she didn't look like she fully believed what that implied.

True to her word, Valka and Cloudjumper flew out, leaving us four. Hiccup started pacing around the room with his head down and his hands held behind his back. I just sat here waiting for something to happen, and the Skrill did the same behind Astrid, who stood there and shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, isn't this just one fun mess _now_, huh?" Hiccup asked. No one replied, and no reply was needed. Hiccup was just starting up.

However, Hiccup seemed to shift gears as if he had made up his mind. I feared that he was about to start berating Astrid, the Skrill, or even _me_ for the tiny role I played by laughing.

"So Astrid, in case you hadn't figured it out, you are hear because you have been chosen by the Skrill to be its rider. It's extremely rare for a Skrill to make this type of decision, and it merits my immediate attention. Any questions so far?"

Astrid was confused by Hiccup's abrupt change of demeanor, but went along with it anyways. She had probably seen so many different things today that one more really didn't get to her.

"Questions? You want to know if I have _questions?_ Of COURSE I have questions! Where do I even start…"

"I'll make that easy. Questions about riding a dragon, not just any question."

"Okay, are you _crazy?_ There's no way that I'm getting on that thing! They shoot LIGHTNING!"

I could _feel_ Hiccup smirk as he replied to that.

"Oh, look: the great Astrid Hofferson scared of a single dragon."

Astrid glared at him, and Hiccup resumed his talk.

"They're not bad. They won't raid anymore, I took care of that, and he won't electrocute you. I'm not sure he even can once you've bonded…"

"Bonded?"

"Hey, look! A relevant question…yes, the more time you spend with your dragon, you will form a special bond that will pass each other's traits onto both of you. You will get to speak with him (and any dragon), you will greatly extend your lifespan, and I suspect you will become resistant or immune to lightning…"

Despite everything Astrid had seen and heard today, she was struggling to take this in.

"But first, you two need time together… I'll have you mentored by Valka and Thuggory in the infancy of your bond. They'll be able to teach you what you need…"

Of course, Hiccup is just going to hand off Astrid to Thug and Valka. Of well, I supposed that's the least disastrous way to do things…

Hiccup walked towards me, and started to mount up.

_*We're leaving already? You aren't going to say _anything_ else?*_

Astrid had the same thought.

"Where are you going? Don't we have a few things we need to discuss, _Hiccup_?!"

Hiccup froze. He suspected she knew something about him back at Berk, but now he had that information confirmed.

He hopped off me, and started walking towards her.

"Pray tell, _how_ do you know my name?" Hiccup asked, putting a deadly sharpness to the question. It almost gave _me_ chills.

Astrid tried to avert her gaze, but kept seeking glances back at Hiccup's face (or mask, rather). Eventually, he caught her eye contact, and she froze.

"I…uh, I mean…it-it was your eyes. The day of the battle, when you stared me down. Your eyes were the same as the last few days before you left, when we butted heads…"

Hiccup's left hand curled into a tight fist, and his right hand tore his mask off and tossed it aside carelessly.

"_Butted heads_? Is that what you call it? I guess you didn't know what it looked like when someone _snapped_…"

They were five feet apart, and I crawled to the side so I could see both of their faces. Hiccup's face was angry and unwavering, and Astrid seemed deeply unsettled by his face.

"What gives you the right to call me that anyways?! Do you have _any_ idea what I went through on Berk? How BAD my life was?"

Astrid still couldn't answer; she still couldn't get over the fact that Hiccup was standing _right_ there, furious with her. She almost seemed to be _taking_ whatever Hiccup wanted to give her.

"You never helped that, by the way. You only made me endure it _longer_. If it wasn't for you, I would have seen Berk for what it really was _much_ sooner…"

Hiccup's words were starting to get to Astrid, but she looked like she was holding what she had to say…just like back at Berk.

"Who knows what might have happened if you hadn't forced my hand back before I left? All I know is you sent me over the edge, and I left. And it was the _greatest_ decision of my life, to leave all of you behind!"

"But…you don't know what that did to us, Hiccup! You don't know what it was like _without_ you there! Your father was never the same! He's been reckless ever since you left!"

"Well, sucks for him! He was the farthest thing from caring! I don't even know how he noticed I was gone!"

"…and-and you left the lineage of Chiefdom is chaos! No one knows what to do now!"

"Oh, _please_, everyone knew that I wasn't going to be the next Chief. They would have put you or Snotlout in front of me at every chance. You should have been happy: I left you in the best spot to take over as Chief."

"That's what you don't know! Hiccup, _I_ was the one they blamed for running out the 'Heir and Hope' of the tribe!"

Now Hiccup had started to get a little bit more cynical, which wasn't a good sign. Sarcastic Hiccup can be annoying, buy Cynical Hiccup can say some pretty surprising things.

"Yea, 'Heir and Hope,' I'm sure. There wasn't a single villager there who liked me! Everyone cheered on the person I pretended to be and chastised the person I really am!"

"You don't get it, do you?! Do you KNOW what it does to someone when they _know_ that they ran someone out of their home to _die _all alone?! Because that's what I've had to live with, Hiccup!"

Hiccup seemed a little bit surprised by that. Astrid basically admitted guilt. In a nutshell, actually. I thought that Hiccup might even be pleased that he made the 'Great Astrid Hofferson' admit guilt until I looked at his expression. I could see what was about to happen; if Astrid was as bothered by what she admitted as she seemed, then what Hiccup was about to do could irreparably damage their relationship (not that there is much of one).

_*Hiccup, DON'T. You don't know what you could be doing. You don't know how deep that wound actually goes for her…she's going to be on the Council for years, don't ruin any chance at reconciliation _now_…*_

Hiccup ignored me.

"Oh, I'm sorry…you've been tortured by that ever since I left? Well, Whoopdie-_fucking_-DOO for you! Try it _ALL OF YOUR LIFE!_"

Damn you, Cynical Hiccup. You don't know what you've done.

Hiccup turned towards me, walked away from Astrid without another word, and mounted me silently. I looked back at him with big eyes, _pleading_ for him to change his mind and try to salvage this. He frowned at me and shook his head, and I had to relent. I gave Astrid and the Skrill one last look to say I was sorry for what happened, before we took off into the night. Hopefully Thug and Valka can get Astrid riding soon, so she can get herself some space. Right now, that may be the only way for her and Hiccup to heal…

(Six Months, Hiccup's POV)

I just sat there, staring at my map. If I had known how many _idiots_ I would have to deal with when I tried to coordinate the entire Barbaric Archipelago, I might have thought twice. But NOOO, I had to earn some good credibility for the Order. Give me a break, if I haven't already established our presence enough, then nothing would do it. I mean, I only solved an age-old feud between men and dragons, killed a Red Death, and defeated basically _two _armadas.

I heard heavy footsteps walking in through the door. Unfortunately, right now I am not at home in my Sanctuary but staying with the Bloody Knuckles, where it just so happens that Thuggory is visiting at the same time. I assume that Thug is the one that walked into the shed I've been working out of. Of course, I _say _that I assume it but I know it for sure because I can feel it; I guess I can chalk that up to being…_whatever_ it is I am (First Rider, Rider, Order Founder…I don't know my own title…)

"STILL looking all of those over? Have you even designed anything new since yesterday?"

I glanced back at my work; I had been drawing up all sorts of things, but the main problem I've been working out has been a true home for the Order. Like their own Sanctuary, big enough for any number of future riders to stay in comfort without turning into a massive maze; I also need it centralized to handle urgent matters yet I would like it to be out of the way of normal travel (even normal dragon flight).

"I've finally come to a conclusion, and it isn't one that I am too excited about…I just think that in order to build the Order a home, we are going to have to do it south of the Archipelago."

"South? That's an interesting proposition…"

"Well, yea Thug, it's not exactly a secret that we're going to live long enough to see the Order spread throughout the world, so building here where it's inconvenient makes no sense. Dragons don't typically function well in cold weather for long periods of time, so the warmth of the south would help that…"

Thuggory looked over my map that showed most of what we know of the lands down south. I assume it to be accurate, mainly because I took it from a Roman caravan I attack, but also because it has the care to detail maps and routes.

"Well, the Romans do certainly through a wrench into that. When we push south, do we plan on pushing them back or trying to reason with them? I hear that gold makes profound arguments…"

"Eh, I don't know. We probably could take out whatever they already have, but I don't think that would stop them from bringing more troops…from what I've gathered, they won't go down easily…"

"Even when one rides the Offspring of Lightning and _Death_ Itself?"

Thuggory put sarcastic spin on "death" just in case Toothless was eavesdropping. Can't have his ego growing TOO much…

"Well, okay, _I_ would be fine. I don't know about all those slow, bulky dragons…"

"Hey, watch it. It'd be shame for you to not even make it to the Romans…"

We both laughed lightheartedly as the conversation fizzled out. We ended up just sitting there, staring down my papers. So much for making progress, huh?

"…so, uh, what's it like being back here? You don't seem to be in a foul mood nearly as often as usual…"

"Oh, well, look who's talking. But no, I've not had any problems. Came here to visit everyone, in fact…"

I gave him a look, and he covered his mistake.

"OH, and to see you! Of course."

"How do you do it, Thug? How can you even stand being here, after they drove you out?"

Thuggory straightened his back, and I could clearly tell he caught on to what I was getting at.

"I just…don't find myself of any worse for it. I can't hold against them what ended up being the most convenient event in my life, now can I?"

"No, _you_ cannot…"

"Hey now, what's _that_ supposed to mean? This is about Berk, isn't it?"

"Wow, nothing slips by you, now does it? It's just that…I _want_ to forgive them. I really do, I can see everything from their view and I don't think I can really hold that against them…but there's some part of me that says that reconciling is a bad idea, like it's letting them off too easily."

"Ah, that would be your head reasoning that you shouldn't forgive them."

I gave Thug the most blank, confused, and unsure look possibly of _my _life. And that is _really_ saying something.

"Ah, yes. That'll help him out. Tell him that the part of him that hates Berk is his rational mind. Good plan, Thug…"

"No, I just mean that your head is conflicted, but your heart may not be. You just need to start somehow, get things rolling, then see where it goes from there."  
>I didn't reply, and I didn't need to. I pondered on what Thug just said (trying to recover from the shock of intelligent advice coming from Thug) for a few moments, until Thug decided he needed to press his point.<p>

"Even if you don't want to forgive _Berk_…"

Oh great, something tells me that I don't really want to hear this. Or maybe the part of me that doesn't want to hear this is the part that needs to listen. UGH, my own head is trying to sabotage itself…

"…I know a great way for you to get started, reconcile with someone, and have it matter!"

"Oh boy, can't you just hear the excitement in my voice?" No, he can't. There's only cynicism and sarcasm.

"…All you have to do is talk to Astrid!"

I shot a look to Thug, and it wasn't nice, but it wasn't as mean as it usually is when this subject is discussed.

"Come _on_, Hiccup! She's on the Council, and still feels very guilty about how things with you went. I spoke with her myself! We're all going to be seeing each other for a LONG time, so it's best to make up now!"

Now, on any given day of my life, I would usually walk out or refuse to even speak on this topic, but recently I had been feeling tired of running from it. I didn't _choose_ to talk about it, but it happened anyways.

"I don't know, Thug. I mean, I don't think I could take being friends with her _now_. I doubt I could ever look at her, especially in the eyes, without thinking of everything that's happened…"

"So? Why should that matter? You just need to nut up, go out there, and _make nice to your hot crush who will be around for at least a hundred years_."

"Sheesh, no need to say it like that…"

"So you'll do it?!"

"I didn't say that…"

Thug threw his arms up in the air in mock-exasperation.

"Alright, I'll let you in on a little secret, okay? You can't tell anyone that I told you this, it's supposed to be something discovered by each man own his own…"

Secret? What the heck kinda secret is gonna help me now? But the way that he's talking about it, the fact that this is his last resort makes me want to hear this out. I cocked my head to the side slightly.

"Oh?"

"Throughout time, men have been _idiots_. I mean ABSOLUTE buffoons. We men hate apologizing to woman, or trying to fix things that we've screwed up, right?"

"Yea, but _I _didn't screw this up."

"Bull, I heard what you said to her. That's why y'all haven't spoken in six months. Anyways, men are idiots because apologizing or making nice can lead to one of the greatest things in all of Midgard…"

Okay, _now_ I'm interested.

"It works best when there's guilt involved. But, if you humble yourself and make things right, if you go FIX this…"

I didn't know it, but I had begun looking up at Thug as if he was telling the world's greatest bedtime story. I was even nodding my head in small, fast nods, _urging_ the story to go on.

"…then you've got a decent chance at getting you some! I mean, what better way to invest you in what's been the worst relationship you've had with a female in your life then good ole' make-up sex?"

Oh. My. Gods. He did NOT just go there.

"What the HELL is wrong with you? I'm actually considering this, and you're talking to be about getting laid?! With the girl that _broke my heart_!?"

"Well, hey, most lovers will break your heart. You just got cheated on the _tail_ end, literally. Might as well get it while you can…"

"I-I just…I mean…Well, uh…GAH!"

I threw my hands up hopelessly. Now _I'm_ the one exasperated, and left on the verge of a major decision without any _true_ support now. Unless you count crappy wingman Thug as support, which I don't _now_.

Okay, I have _got_ to change this subject to something else. ANYTHING else.

"Well, how's the Skrill doing? Does he finally have a name?"

"Why don't you ask his rider? I bet she knows…" Thug replied as he began to walk out of my shed.

"Because I'm not looking forward to doing that!"

"Ask me _what_?" Astrid replied as she rounded the corner.

Wait, WHAT?

"Astrid? Uh, hi-hi Astrid. Wait, Astrid? Wha-wha-what are you doing here?"

Astrid gave me a flat look, and that gave me time for my head to start catching up (which is what I suspect the look was for).

"Oh, right. Tonight's the first gathering of all Council members, and we're doing it here. I-I mean, we aren't 'doing it' here, the Order is. Meeting, that is. Yea, that's right, isn't it?"

She gave me another flat look.

"I heard that whole conversation, Hiccup. I was standing outside the whole time…"

"Thank the gods, I did _not _what to explain any of that…"

"Nir."

"Uh, what?"

Again, I received a flat look as if I should know what the heck 'Nir' means.

"That's his name, Nir. As in Mjolnir, but shortened. It seemed fitting for a _lightning_ dragon."

"Oh, okay, you aren't afraid of being struck down by someone else's lightning?"

"I think that we'll risk it…"

I rolled my eyes.

"Well, it's only fair to warn you that Thor kinda helped ordain our Order…"

And then is was just silence. Not just _any_ silence, but _awkward_ silence, because I don't already have enough awkward in my life.

"So, uh, you heard all of what we said?"

"Yea. It was Thug's idea…"

"I'm sure…so, uh, about us…"

Now Astrid dropped the flat looks. For a moment, everything else seemed to have disappeared.

"Look, Hiccup, I didn't put any stock into what you said that day. I-I deserved it, I think. From here on in, I just want to try to put all of that behind us…"

I meant to contribute to the conversation, I REALLY did, but I found myself unable to find something to say.

"I know that it's a lot to ask, and that it won't ever really go away. But I was wrong. I can _see_ that now; heck, I can _feel_ it. If it wasn't for you, everything with Nir wouldn't being going so great, and I just don't want to have to live with the feeling that I've failed you at every chance…"

Are we sure this is Astrid? I guess it is, but I never would have imagined anything so…_ emotional_ to come from her. I guess things must have really changed.

"Can we not hold onto our history?"

Oh gods, those _eyes_. I've never seen them this big, and it makes them seem as if they glow. And they're crystal clear too, not a shred of doubt or any hint of a lie in them. And then her hair is still its same blonde brilliance, not to mention the she's started to grow...elsewhere. Or rather, overall, because that isn't limited to one place...

Dammit, how am I going to stay mad at _that?_

"Fine, yes. We can let it go…it's probably for the best, considering the 'apprenticeship' coming up."

"Come again?"

"I promised Thug that I would take one of the newer Council Members with me for a few months, kinda help them out and spend time with people…now that he's been eavesdropping on us, I know he's going to everything in his power to make sure I take you…"

"DANG! HOW'D YOU KNOW?!" I head Thug call from the other side of the wall.

"YOU'RE A FOOL IF YOU EVER BELIEVED THAT I THOUGHT YOU LEFT!"

"Months, huh? Doesn't that just sound like the _perfect_ idea for two people with a screwed up relationship?"

Part of my stomach flopped when she mentioned relationship…

Sigh. I guess some things never change…

"Yea. At least the traveling will be fun, though I hope 'Seezar' or whoever takes kindly to our visit, once we learn Latin (of course)."

"Wait, 'Seezar?'"

"Yea, you know where we're headed? _Roma_."

"ROME?" Astrid asked, with significant shock on her face.

I nodded only _slightly_ smugly.

"Rome."

Author's Note: So I wrote this chapter in two parts at two completely separate times because I didn't know how I wanted the Hiccup/Astrid stuff to go down. On one hand, I definitely want Hiccup and Astrid at odds for a while because I like that frustrated feeling that it leaves readers with. Which really is a very cruel thing to enjoy. I originally planned _not_ to resolve their problems for a while longer, but that's not practical with the Order. Instead, I am planning to frustrate my readers a different way before this ends, so be ready. I've decided that Hiccup is going to delve into the issues of dealing with Romans before I end this part of the story and begin my new one. I feel like I can use the Romans to teach Hiccup a very important lesson that will become core to the Order.

And yes, even I am disappointed in my Time Lapse of six months because it's lazy writing. Some people say "no, it leaves it to the reader's imagination! It's better ambiguous like that!" Yea, NO. It's not, I prefer to know what happens and how it can alter later outcomes. That being said, I put a time lapse in there to keep this story on pace, otherwise I'd never end this part of the story and start new parts…


	20. I'm My Own Witness

Exodus and Return-us

Chapter 20

Author's Note: Okay, so it has been a while since the last update. I have NOT vanished nor have I abandoned the series; school just started back and now I find myself with work to everyday whereas last year I was able to schedule two days off. I will try to keep the updates coming, but baseball is about to hit full swing and that will slow everything down tremendously…

Hiccup's POV

Toothless and I walked slowly around the village; the talk with Astrid earlier had gone well, and I was aimlessly looking for Thuggory. Toothless walked beside me, and we both just enjoyed the silence. For once, no one was judging me or coaxing answers out of me, I wasn't dealing with any problems or talking through difficult situations; just me and my buddy strolling along, savoring the silence. You know, I never quite understood why women are always talking. I quite enjoy silences like these and I don't get enough moments like these. Someone ALWAYS tries to ruin it with some sort of "problem" or, worse, "feelings" that need to be discussed.

_*Hiccup, I think we should talk…*_

Sigh.

_^Really? NOW, when we finally have some peace?^_

_*Yes. What's your plan for the…meeting…tonight?*_

_^Tonight? I just sent out the messengers.^_

Toothless altered his course slightly, and started leading me towards the town's version of the 'Great Hall.'

_*There is NO way you forgot this…*_

_^Uh, hello? Forgot WHAT?!^_

_*How long has Astrid been a rider?*_

_^Six months, why?^_

Toothless didn't answer, but just gave me a look.

_*NOTHING?! Have you gone brain-dead?* Why would a meeting already be prepared?* _

_^Uhh…well, there's—OOH…^_

Crap. Six months since Berk, which means that…the trial is soon.

_^The TRIAL! When is it?!^_

_*About an hour, idiot.*_

^_Oh gosh, that soon?^_

_*Yes, so I need to know, what's the plan?*_

Plan? He thinks I have a plan? That's cute…

_^Uh, get them in trouble?^_

Nothing. Just a blank stare.

_*Hiccup, why did you forgive Astrid so easily?*_

_^What do you mean? I thought that all of you _wanted_ that!^_

_*Yea, but _you_ didn't. Why did you cave in so easily?*_

_^…I don't know…^_

_*That's NOT an answer. Why did you go against your gut?*_

_^I…it just…I think that she…^_

Sigh, who am I kidding. It's obvious.

_^I couldn't get over her, OKAY?! I couldn't find it in me to stay mad at her when some part of me still loves her…I TRIED to be mad, furious even, about everything that she put me through! Everything that she did back on Berk…I thought that would be the end of it. I thought that it would be enough to break this stupid crush…^_

_*But it wasn't?*_

I paused a few moments, just starring at the dirt and avoiding Toothless' gaze.

_^I guess not…^_

Toothless seemed to ponder my answer, and I guess he eventually deemed it truthful. If it's not, then even _I_ don't know the truth.

Then again, I have been wrong about this stuff before…

_*But what about the trial, and the rest of them?*_

_^Who, Berk? Screw them, I'll still put them all through hell if I can!*_

He just rolled his eyes and continued walking, leaving me behind as I stood with my hands on my hips, proud of my last statement.

_^Uh, well, good talk, I guess…^_

_*So what's the plan? For the trial, that is?*_

_^I don't know, I'm just planning on putting the mask on and pressing every advantage that I have…^_

_*So you aren't going to reveal yourself to the court?*_

_^I hope not. _That_ would be awkward, huh?^_

Toothless gave me a funny look that displayed how unsure he was about my 'plan' but he continued walking anyways.

The hall had finally come into sight, when I noticed Toothless' ears (ear flaps? He still won't tell me which it is) perk up, as if picking up a distant sound. I spun around to find Nir swooping down, and Astrid dismounting into a roll…right. at. me.

"HICCUP!"

I sidestepped, but Astrid stopped her roll and stood up a few feet from where I was standing anyways.

"What's the meaning of all of this?! You're still going through with the trial! I thought we talked about this!"

Normally, I would make a few sarcastic remarks about being 'sorry' but I noticed Astrid had both of her hands clenched into fists (with white knuckles) and she seemed as if she was trying NOT to reach for her axe; due to these small facts, I decided NOT to take my life into my own hands, and instead gave her a calm and collected answer.

"Okay, to be fair, I completely forgot about the trial; I think Thug made sure it proceeded. But yes, I am going through with it; I'm not going to let everything they put me through go unanswered…they need to feel some of what I felt, and know exactly _why_ they are feeling it."

Astrid simmered down a little bit, which was fortunate, and she was able to make a somewhat civilized reply.

"What, you want _retribution_? Why can't you forgive them or at least stay away from them?!"

"That's a great question. If you ever come up with an answer, I would love to hear it too…"

"…So you want to put all of _Berk_ on trial for the vague things they did to make your life miserable, but I get a free pass?! Why!?"

_*Ooh, she's got you there…and now, it looks as if our hero is backed into a corner with no way out but the truth!...but taking such a path could lead to two unknown extremes! CAN HE DO IT!*_

_^SOOOO not in the mood, Bud.^_

"Well, uh, it helps that you _are _a Council rider now…?"

Astrid folded her arms, and her sass went through the roof; she clearly was not buying that.

"You would still hold a grudge. I did things that were worse AND more specifically designed to hurt you! Why did I get a pass!?"

Man, I wish I had my mask right about now. I just don't feel as strong without it, and I could use any help right about now…if only there was some big, black friend who could help me out here…

_*Because he still loves you, _DUH!*

Nope. Definitely no friends here.

_^Shut the hell up Toothless!^_

"oh. Oh…._OOOH…_" Astrid suddenly and absentmindedly exclaimed.

" 'Oh?' What do you mean 'oh?'"

Astrid looked as if she had just discovered the most painfully obvious thing ever, and it had stunned her for a moment.

_*Wait. My bad…*_

Oh no, don't tell me…

_^What do YOU mean, 'my bad?'^_

_*That, uh, may have been transmitted…to everyone nearby…*_

Well, there goes _any_ chance of me finishing this conversation without blushing. Or awkwardness, because that's coming too.

"I-I didn't think that you'd still—I mean, I had forgotten about—that just…makes things clearer…"

"Toothless, I swear one of these days I'm going to mount your head on a wall and make eel-puppets out of your tail!"

_*HEY! Let's not get rash here, I'm still the biggest guy here!*_

"Yea, so uh, I, uh, gotta go, uh, put my dad on trial, so you, uh…"

Astrid recovered herself, and looked at me with somewhat timid eyes. Although I'm not entirely sure what she was scared of, she defiantely scared of something about me. But this was different from when 'Fin' could have killed her, this was a more…intimate (for lack of a better term) fear. Like the fear of doing something wrong, or…hurting me.

But that doesn't really sound like Astrid, now does it?

"Yea. I'll be there to, uh, what am I supposed to do to help?"

"Help who, exactly?"

Astrid _almost_ gave me a sarcastic look that I am known for. But not quite…

"Just wear the mask and armor and stick with the other Council members. You should just be spectating, as far as I know…"

"Okay…"

_^Come on, Traitor. Time to go inside…^_

Toothless just _bounded _over with a super-smug look on his face, reveling in his job well done. We walked with Toothless grinning, and me entertaining thoughts of wiping that grin off.

POV BREAK (Gobber's POV)

Well, here goes nothing. Everyone is finally here, which is a lot to say. 'Fin' and his advisor (Cami, that little rascal) are both seated on the opposite side of a little wall of tables made to separate Berk from our accusers. I'm all set to defend Berk as our voice, seeing as Stoic agreed that he might be overcome with rage at the sight of Fin.

Boy, I just have a feeling in my skivvies that that relationship is going to end badly…

Let's see, we have a basic judge, the head of that neutral Blond clan, and a jury-type thing made of the other 10 tribe leaders. And there are a ton of people (all extremely and eerily silent) here to observe. By far the creepiest are the dragon riders in the corner, molding into the shadows and occasionally exposing their intricate masks and armors… no doubt Hiccup's work.

"Okay, let's settle this once and fer'all! We have Fin, a man of great power and considerable honor, against the Hairy Hooligans, a hardworking and traditional tribe! Fin: since you have the issue here, you shall go first!"

Fin slowly rose, walked forward until he was in the clearing designed for the speakers where everyone could see him, then looked around. I just kept waiting for whatever Hiccup had planned: I knew that lad was smart enough to choke us in our own words, and I was thankful we got to go second for that reason. I'm fairly certain that Hiccup would arrange a pass for me on whatever happens, but I can't really be certain of anything nowadays.

"Court…my issue with Berk is one of moral standing, which plagues Berk's foundation, beginning with its leadership! Not only did they refuse to see dragons for what they are, they chose to fight for Dagur, a madman that all other tribes had the wisdom to avoid! Worse still, and what repulses me to this day, is their treatment of their own kin, their own heir! Despite his bloodline, his right to rule, and his membership in his clan, Hiccup Haddock III was abused mentally and physically by the people that should have seen him rise to be their chief, and worse that their own _chief_ would neglect his offspring in the worse manner possible! They forced their own heir the run away from home due to their cruelty, and I do not believe that should go unpunished!"

Well, he put it all on the table, but it sounded so…bad. That was literally the worst way he could have argued any of the points that he had us beat on. I'm not really certain that that _is_ Hiccup underneath there. Everyone around the room seemed similarly confused (minus the knowing about Hiccup part, obviously).

"Is that all you have to say, Fin?"

"I rest for now, yes."

Oh, well, here goes nothing.

I pushed myself up from my seat, and hobbled up into the now-vacated speaking area.

"Well, yer honor, I just have to plain disagree on all of those points. You said it yerself, we are traditional Vikings; of course we denied the idea that dragons could be tame! It sounded like pure lunacy from a man who was so far gone he should be put down! And we didn't side with Dagur; we didn't even like the guy, but we were allied clans and we weren't about to tarnish our honor by sitting out a fight, especially when we was going to combine to fight _dragons!_ We wouldn't be able to live with ourselves if we passed tha' up! And Fin is making up stories about Hiccup leaving due to 'abuse.' We've searched the Archipelago's ever since his disappearance, which was about the same time as Fin's emergence! We've been somewhat hostile to Fin because he led us to believe he was keeping Hiccup from us! Eventually, we assumed he had him kidnapped or killed, and we were NOT going to ally ourselves with the murderer of our own heir! Even now, Fin may know of Hiccup's whereabouts, but ye do nae see him talking!"

Cami had been whispering furiously (yes, that's possible and she did it well) in Fin's ear, likely disappointed with his speech.

"Well, I don't even think we need the jury to decide this one. Is there _anything_ you want to try to add, Fin?"

Fin tried to shake his head no, but Cami stood up and took the floor…which probably isn't good.

"Now, I am just an advisor here, but I am here to present a testimony that will undoubtedly decide this case. However, I have been warned that Fin fears he may succumb to rage if he must listen to such a thing while in the same room as the Hooligans, so he requests leave during any moment which my witness _Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third _is in the room! Is it granted, judge?"

Thor's beard, if that's not the smartest move I've ever seen. Excusing himself so he can come back as someone else to testify! Everyone around the room began to whisper, some excitedly and some nervously. I looked to my left to find Stoic blank faced, and couldn't tell if which part of the news was getting to him: that his son was about to be here, or that he was coming to Berk's trial to testify.

"Yes, granted. We wouldn't want to hold him down, that's for sure. Take your leave, Fin, and have Hiccup come in."

Fin walked out the exit, accompanied by Toothless, and they both took off once they were outside. Everyone assumed they would just stick close by, but I knew Hiccup was about to walk back in here without any sign that he had been flying Toothless at all.

I was right, as two minutes later the doors opened, and Hiccup was escorted in by an armed guard. He wasn't a prisoner, but was being _protected_ by the guard, who all kept nervous eyes on us Hooligans. He walked forward to the speaking area, and was addressed by the judge.

"Now, I assume you know what is at stake and what has been said. Fin claims that you have been deeply wronged by Berk, and Berk claims you as a lost heir that is missed. What say you?"

Hiccup looked around the room, and finally stopped to stare down all of Berk. He had changed in the few years he had been gone; little bit taller, slightly more muscle (but defined muscle), and his hair seemed to have just started this 'messy' look. His jaw was beginning to set, too, and that's a feature he'd be wise not to hide around the ladies…

"Of all the stories you have heard today, none of Berk's are true. I do NOT fault Gobber for his efforts, because I know he is the only decent person there and do not wish any ill upon him. As for the rest of Berk, they put me through hell during my youth. 15 years where I was known widely as a failure who couldn't do anything right, and was written off. The other kids soon learned that since no one cared about me, I was easy prey for anything they wanted to do, which typically involved some sort of pain. As I got older, I tried to be useful in the ways that I could; it never worked, and only worsened how the village thought of me! I endured the worst mental tortures every day, only to come home to a colossally disappointed father who was ashamed of his embarrassment of a kid. You CAN'T have any clue what that's like for 15 years! And then the worst part, after a chance encounter with Fin, I learned things about dragons that no one else knew and they all thought I was some sort of hero! It _sickened_ me to know that dragons were not evil, yet I was being hailed as some sort of dragon-murdering prodigy. That was what I wanted my whole life and couldn't achieve it, and once I learned the truth, once it repulsed me, I was suddenly being _praised_ for that which they took for talent!? I had to leave as soon as possible, and Fin helped with that. Judge, if this case rests on my testimony, then I suggest all of Berk (EXCEPT for Gobber) be punished!"

Hiccup nodded to the judge, then walked out still escorted by his guard. He gave one glance to me (with a slight nod) that I acknowledged, then took one look at his father, who looked as if his resolve had just broken. Stoic sat down, completely defeated and frozen in his thoughts, but the trial went on without him.

Eventually, Fin returned and helped orchestrate 'generous' terms to help Berk regrow. It was decided that any member of 'Good Standing' tribes (not Berk or the Bersekers OR the Outcasts {who really haven't done much of anything recently}) could go take a decent position in the 'New Berk.' Half of the village would be Berk, and half would be upstanding members of other tribes with better privileges than Berk. Everyone would chose a Chief from one of the other tribes' members, and he would take over the new tribe. The tribe would have some military guards for a while, but eventually Berk would be allowed autonomy as long as Stoic wasn't Chief…and the news broke him even further.

As for myself, Fin negotiated (on Hiccup's behalf) that I be granted work as an independent traveling trader working for Fin. Basically, I would go sell Fin's stuff and he would pay me pretty well. It kinda sucked that it would take me away from Berk, but they convinced me that for the time being, it would be best for Berk to try to move on.

Whatever the reason, I ended up at this pretty awesome island with a nice set-up and a chance to see what Hiccup's been up to, and hopefully, a chance to talk to the lad.

(Nir the Skrill's POV)

"Guys, tell me _again _what we are doing?"

"Hiccu', you refused to tell me what these 'powers' were because you apparently DIDN'T KNOW WHAT POWERS YOU HAD. So we are going to find out, before you leave for Rome or wherever…"

"Fine, then why are _they_ here?" Hiccup replied, gesturing to Astrid and myself. Currently, Astrid was leaning against my side with her arms folded, waiting for Hiccup and Gobber to settle down.

"Well I can't very well know what you can do if I don' have a reference, now can I?"

Hiccup let out a frustrated sigh (and Toothless chuckled at him) before apparently relenting. He finally saw what's been pretty obvious for a while now: Gobber wasn't going to take no for an answer. To be honest, I am surprised that Hiccup hadn't already charted and mapped out his own progress; he seems like the guy to do something like that.

"Fine, what are we going to do first?"

"Well, since I've only heard stories of how you fought off half of Berk, I think it's safe to say that you're a great fighter with unnatural speed, so I want to know more about the finer parts of your abilities."

"Like what?"

"Oh, you know, just the part where you live forever. That's a good place as any to start…" Gobber gave him a piercing gaze that implied that Gobber was a little insulted he wasn't told about the subject sooner.

Hiccup shot Astrid a glare, but she didn't seem to care.

"Uh, right…that's not exactly one I'm sure about myself."

"….well, what _do_ you know about it fer cryin' out loud?!"

"I don't know, he just said that I'm forced to live on Midgard until Ragnarok. I sure hope that means I can't die, because it would suck to be stuck as a corpse until the world ended…"

_*I'm sure I can arrange that if I don't get fed ON TIME.*_

"What's wrong with him?" Astrid interjected, breaking the flow of the conversation.

"Oh, he just has this delusion of grandeur where I have to feed him all meals, despite the fact that he gets more food whenever he feeds himself…"

_*That's not the point, it's a matter of dignity. You peasants wouldn't understand…*_

_^*Watch it there half-Fin, some of us prefer to be independent of their human…*^_

There, if that doesn't ruffle his feathers, I don't know what will. It's even a double insult, as he has half a fin and it implies that he is only worth half of "Fin." Yup, I can hang with these guys, no problem. I'm just not sure if I should stoop that low...

"Ooooh snap, he told you Bud!"

"ANYWAYS…" Gobber intervened, annoyed that yet one more conversation had gone by without including him.

"Oh, yea, so I guess that as long as no one kills me, I get to live forever. Which, by the way, does kinda suck in its own way."

"Yes, ye poor soul. Good news is, you've got FRICKIN _ETERNITY _to get over it…"

Hiccup put his hands up in a mock-mea culpa gesture, and replied to Gobber's annoyed jab.

"Sorry, forgot I was speaking with mere mortals…"

"I'm gonna give you to the count of three to stop that before my hook meets your rear end!"

_*Nah, that won't do. He'll probably like it too much!*_

_^HEY!^_

Okay, I'll admit that I found that funny, despite the repulsing factor. Astrid must have agreed, because she softly chuckled also.

"Okay now, I WAS going to have you fight Astrid to show me what you've got, but I'm going to postpone that for later since I can't get anyone to take this seriously. Hiccup, would you mind showing me around the forge?"

Gobber had a look like a man who knew he was playing the ultimate trump-card, kinda because he was. There was no WAY Hiccup was going to turn down a chance to show off his forge, forged weapons, gadgets, or armors, and _especially_ not to his old master.

"Sure! It's right over there. I've even had some ideas to help with your pegs. You see, if you use Gronkle Iron, naturally it will make things lighter, but…" I began to ignore Hiccup's spurt into the technological aspects of, well, anything he was interested in.

Hiccup and Gobber walked and hobbled off respectively towards the forge, leaving me with Astrid and Toothless. Toothless decided to start walking after Hiccup, but I had one thing to say to him privately (so, just no Astrid listening).

_^*You and I both know that Hiccup lied.*^_

_*Do we now? About what?*_

_^*Living forever unless killed by someone. Don't deny it, we both know that's a lie…*^_

_*…Perhaps…*_

_^*Does Hiccup know that he can't be permanently killed?*^_

No reply. Toothless walked off without another word.

But he looked back, and gave me a small, curt nod.

_*You'd be surprised who told him about it. Can't believe it myself that he got to meet the God of Thunder…*_


	21. Exodus: End Part One

Exodus and Return-us

Chapter 21

Hiccup's POV

It's been such a peaceful flight so far. We were lucky enough to catch a fair amount of updrafts, so it was easy flying and the heat from the rising air also balance out the freezing air. It's not often here in the far north that we get pleasant days, though, and if the weather isn't bad then something else will be.

Like our destination. That hold a high probability of ruining my day.

But I suppose it needs to happen. After this, we head south to start a whole next chapter for the Order, and I am extremely anxious to see it done. Even if Thor himself _hadn't_ told me what needed to be done, I still would want to do this. Now I just have a _divine_ reason to, and not even Cami has found a successful argument against that.

_*…You've been quiet.*_

_^Wow, I wonder what that could mean? Let's be silent and think about it…^_

_*Okay, if you don't want to start a conversation, fine. Stop me when I hit on something good…*_

You know, I don't think he wanted us to talk at all. If I know Toothless (which, seeing as he is carrying me over icy waters, I do) he has something he wants me to tell him, and he's about to ask about it.

_*Let's start with, oh, say, the time you had a vision of Thor…sound good?*_

I rolled my eyes. At least he didn't go for the whole talk about Astrid _again_, which would have been doubly painful considering she is about 30 feet below us, riding Nir smoothly as if she was born on dragonback.

_^Fine. I had a vision with Thor. He told me some cool things. End of story…^_

Toothless grunted at me. He clearly isn't in the mood for sarcasm, which is too bad considering that's all he's getting.

_*Okay, I'll read between the lines. You had a 'special dream' about someone close to you and now you are inspired! Sound about right?*_

_^WHAT? NO! That's not at all what it was!^_

_*Huh. Well that's what I'm telling everyone unless I hear what I want…*_

Blackmail, and a cunning plan. Whoever could have taught him that?

_^Remind me to tell Cami to stop spending time with you…^_

_*So? What was it like, having a vision of Thor himself?*_

Well, I guess there isn't any way out of this now. I guess I should tell him anyways; I am stuck with the guy until Ragnarok…

_^Fine. The night I had the vision, I had gone to sleep late in a Thunderstorm because I was too preoccupied working on things…^_

_*Big shocker. Continue…*_

_^Anyways, the just as the storm reached its worst, I couldn't sleep at all. I was rolling over constantly trying to find the most comfortable spot, without any luck. I lay down on my left side, waited, and couldn't sleep. So when the next clap of thunder hit, I rolled over to the other side, except…I wasn't in the dark room anymore. Suddenly, I was in a bed in the middle of a small field of grass that was perfectly flat and uniformly green in all directions. Straight from overhead, the sun shone down evenly on everything, and the ground and sky mixed into one so close to me that it felt as if I was in a small bubble of a world. I got up, walked around, and then noticed something I hadn't before…my bed was gone, and in its place was a man in full armor, pointing a sword at me. The sword seemed to be alive, much like lightning, and I was fixed on it until the man spoke to me. "Draw," he said, and I felt my side to find my sword's hilt there. I didn't have it on when I slept. The man charged me, and I drew my sword in time to block his blow…the man's speed was amazing, faster than anyone I had ever seen. He was probably even quicker than I am, though I was lighter on my feet, if only marginally. The man pressed his advantages after taking me by surprise, and I was quickly giving ground. I was played perfectly, until in two moves I was disarmed and thrown backwards. I rolled backwards and got back to my feet, and where I had just landed had been shot by lightning from his sword. He must not have expected me to dodge his blast, and I found myself with a small window. Somehow I knew my shield was on me, and I used it to fling a shield of ice at him. It hit him in the chest, knocking him back, and allowed me time to summersault forward, rolling at the end to grab my sword and return upright with my weapon. Good thing, too, because as soon as he recovered he shot another lightning blast, but I blocked it with my sword; the amethyst and the small bond with Nir were enough to absorb the blow, but left me in a rigid position as the man charged me again. This time, I charged back, and we met in the middle with our swords crossed, pushing with all our might. It seemed as if we were evenly matched, and neither of us made any progress pushing, so we both had the same idea: we spun, keeping our blades locked behind our heads, and then disengaged to whip our swords around at each other. We both had clear body shots with fatal implications, and it seemed as if whoever was a split-second faster would be the only survivor…^_

_*Okay, that's cool, but where does Thor come into this?*_

_^If you would let me finish…anyways, before either of us landed a killing blow, everything went white, and then the man was gone, and so was the field and sun and sky. Now I was just in whiteness. I felt as if I was standing on something, but everything was white and there were no distinct features anywhere. "Very well fought, Hiccup…" a deep voice boomed from around me. I jumped about 18 feet in the air, and then tried to compose myself. "Who are you? Who was that man?" "Why, aren't those answers obvious? I am Thor, and that was Fin." Well, I took the 'Thor' part pretty well, but I was confused about Fin. "But _I_ am Fin…right?" The voice waited a little, before answering my question with two of his own (just what I needed, by the way). "Are you Fin, or is Fin you?" A stupid question, but hey, it's Thor we are talking about._^

I paused a little bit to glance skyward, thankful to _Odin_ that it was a very clear, very _cloudless_ day. The kind of day that makes it really hard to be hit by lightning.

By now, Toothless was silent, mesmerized with my tale.

_^"Uh, both, actually. It's kind of a handle or a nickname…" Yea, so there I am talking to the God of Thunder and I'm smarting off to him. Surprised? "I think there can be only one. I guess we will have to wait and see. It is rare for any mortal to speak with me, but you are no ordinary mortal. In fact, you are not truly mortal anymore. You are here because you have chosen a path that pleases Asgard, and I wish to guide you in a direction that will decide your legacy." As you can understand, that was kinda overwhelming, in a 'holy Thor I'm talking to Holy Thor' kind of way. "When you awake, you will find a list written on a gold sheet of paper-" "Gold _paper_? How does that work, exactly?" "Never mind the paper, just know that once you read the paper, its contents will be stored in your head until they are fulfilled. After you read the paper, it will vanish, so don't even _think_ of trying to reverse-engineer it…"_ _and just like that I awoke, paper in hand and a lot to think about. I can't tell you all of the things on the paper, but I already customized all of the Council Rider's gear, which was one thing…^_

_*And our destination was another?*_

_^Bingo. Apparently, the gods do, in fact, love to watch me squirm. In one of my many follow-up visions, Thor told me as much. Apparently my awkward scenes are comedy gold up there…^_

_*Well, they _are _quite hilarious. I can't wait until you and Astrid start talking some more; that is bound to be funny…*_

I know he can't see it, seeing as I am sitting in his blind spot and am wearing my mask, but I still gave him a look.

_^It's not even just what I do, he even messes with me by where his voice comes from. Three nights ago I dreamt of communicating with the gods through a very old lady's butt crack…and Thor was quiet so I had to _get close_ to hear…_^

Now Toothless laughed at me. That's the last thing I need is Toothless and Thor teaming up to mess with me. I shot a glare towards the heavens just in case.

_*Is that all? We are going south because you commune with wrinkled crack?*_

_^No, there's a lot more, but I don't think I can or should share it. There is a bunch of things to do that are vague, but at the very bottom is the vaguest of all: all it says is, in capital letters with bold and underlining,_

**MAKE ****A ****CHOICE.**

_And I have no clue what that means. "Make a choice?" Well, I _chose_ cod over salmon for dinner last night, but did that count? No.^_

_*…I don't know. The gods obviously have their plans. I guess we will find out when they want us to…*_

I began to nod in agreement as I squinted at the horizon. Great, were here. I gave an extremely loud whistle, one that perfectly mimics Toothless' ballistic moan, and signaled for Thuggory to come up to me. He did so, and I gave him instructions to fly down and find our target. I decided that the least amount of time that I have to spend here the better, and I'd rather circle above until I know I have an opportunity.

After a few minutes, Thuggory came back up with his report.

"They say that he lives high up the hill in the farthest house. It used to belong to this old unpleasant fellow, but he's moved on somewhere…I'm not certain if he kicked the bucket, or what but…"

"I know the place. What does he do nowadays?"

"Been stripped of rank, and lives in isolation for the most part. Supports just himself out there, and has no say or authority over anything anymore. He spends his time in solidarity."

I nodded, and planned out what would happen in my head. Or at least, I began to think about forming a true plan; my mind was occupied with other thoughts.

"Good. We'll fly down to his field and dismount. He's all we're here for…"

Thug nodded and went to relay the orders to the others, and Toothless and I angled towards the house that once belonged to Mildew. It took a few minutes to get there, but it felt like a few seconds. It's funny how they say time flies when you're having fun, but they never tell you it also flies when you are dreading something imminent. And then the last few seconds seem to go slow-motion, as if to accentuate your impending doom.

I landed in the field, which I noted was empty of our target, and turned around to find my companions had all done the same, and every one of them was behind me. No one was even close to the front, as if they had all planned to wait and see who I would call forward.

I motioned to Thug, Astrid, and Valka to come with me, and for the rest to stay for the time being. Thug I wanted simply because he seems to get along with our target, and that would be useful to break the ice; after that, I expect he would be silent. I picked Astrid because I feel like she's too afraid of disappointing me to do anything wrong, almost to the point where I have a lapdog. I don't really feel good taking advantage of that, but it assuredly makes her an ally I can count on in any sort of tight situation that might arise. And I brought in Valka in case something should happen with plan #1, because she is a major player in plan #2 and she knows it.

We walked up to the door, and Thuggory gave the strong knocks, before a deep and obviously bitter voice beckoned us to open it ourselves.

Thug lead the way, then stepped aside once the door was opened. I stepped front and center into the long, thin house (and I suspect that the other two filled in beside me). There, sitting at the end of the corridor that comprises this house was our target. As such a large man, he looked almost as if he would get stuck should be stand sideways in such a small house.

"Stoic, it's Thuggory. I have someone who would speak to you…"

_*This is it. Are you ready for this?*_

_^I sure as hell am not, but Thor seems to think I am…let's get this over with…^_

Stoic turned around to face use quickly, with the slightest gleam of hope and anxiousness in his eye. I could tell that he expected Thuggory to have brought his son for a visit, and he seemed to contain a genuine joy to see his son.

Until he saw me, in my mask, instead. His face turned sour, and his eyes took on a bitterness that I don't know if I have ever seen anywhere else. At first, I was confused and startled at such a change, until I remembered that he saw 'Fin' and not me.

"You…what have you come to take from me now?! Is it not enough that you turned my allies against me!? Or my tribe, or my own son!?"

"Sir, sir, calm down. I am only here to settle our dispute. I had hoped that we could act like civilized gentlemen and I could show you something you need to see…"

"What, are you going to materialize my grave from that belt of yours, or have you come to display the severed head of my son to me?"

Of course, he tries the 'sarcasm' things and dips straight into a morbid 'sardonic' mode instead.

"Well, both of those ideas are quite on interesting stretch. You must have some twisted view of me, to be sure…"

"Oh, and I don't have reason? I absolutely detest everything you stand for, you abomination to Odin's realms!"

Okay, now he is pushing it.

"I'm not certain that you would phrase it like that if you knew the guy…"

"Yea? Well, when I send you straight to Hel's realm, you can ask her how Odin likes his name used. I'm certain that she will let you know, seeing as you ride her own offspring you vile plague!"

Well, I'm not supposed to die, so good luck with that.

"I don't really think you've planned out the logistics there. If you would just calm down, I'm certain that I can show you something of interest…"

Stoic had no intention of listening, and instead raised his hammer towards me.

"You think that I am going to make the mistake of trusting you? I would rather dine with Loki himself!"

This is really starting to get on my nerves, and it is also escalating very rapidly. If something doesn't change soon, I'm going to have to knock some sense into him. I get that I may not be his favorite person, but am I really worth all of this hate he aims towards me?

"I would rather be eaten by your black, slimy eel!"

Thank the heavens that Thug grabbed my shoulder, because I was about to stab him then and there. NO ONE is allowed to call Toothless that, save for me, and that's a right that I am very much prepared to fight for. Now I'm pissed, and there is not any chance of saving this talk.

"I hope you go crawl in a hole and die! I-" Stoic abruptly stopped when I ripped my mask off. I could see him process what he saw: he was shocked, abhorred, and disgusted all at once, with different amounts of each emotions flashing in his features.

But why? His son, what he's wanted for so long, is finally standing here staring him in the eye, and he's not releasing the spark of joy I saw earlier? What has changed!?

It hit me. Hard. He hoped for the son he remembered, the one with promise and a future fighting dragons. The son who showed an upside and could even have carried on the mantle of Chief. He missed "the hope and heir of Berk," the "pride of the village," the kid with the "way with the beasts." Now, the cold hard truth was exposed: I was none of those things, and I was the sum of all he despises. That truth hit him hard, and he was mortified by the ramifications.

And now I am mortified by the ramifications. I should have seen this coming. I was _foolish_ not to foresee this, and now I have to end our relationship on a sour note.

"…that's right, it's me. Long-lost son turned out to be the bane of your existence, but we knew that long before I left, _right_? Back when you tried to shut me inside to prevent anything from happening? Oh, if only mom were there, what she would have said…"

I didn't need to glance to my side to know that I had caught Valka's attention. She didn't do anything wrong, but I still felt the need to through that out there; hopefully it will make it sting more for Stoic.

"I see you haven't found your words. That's okay, because you'll have a lot of time to think on this. I'm leaving, heading south, and I don't look forward to ever coming back here. I figured I would come for a bitter-sweet reveal before I left, but it appears that was out of the question. I'm done with you, dad. I just…hope you can appreciate all I had to suffer on this island. It looks like you're gonna have you own version…"

I waited a few seconds, but Stoic seemed to be reeling from everything that had just gone down, so I turned to slowly walk out, mask still in hand. Valka was the only person who hadn't moved, and I could tell this was hard for her, especially since she didn't know most of what had happened between Stoic and me.

She glanced at Stoic and back at me, silently asking if she were going to reveal herself too. That was plan B, but it doesn't matter now.

"No. This went so poorly…that he doesn't even deserve to even see you, even if only for a second. He hasn't even earned that…"

Valka still seemed lost, and took one more glance back to Stoic before slumping slightly in defeat and walking out in front of me. As I walked out, I turned to grab the door behind me, and took one last, fleeting glance at my defeated father: he had slouched down, pure confusion seeming to radiate about him to compliment the lost, absent look on his face.

I shut the door on the last unresolved tie to my troubling past. From here on in, I was baggage-free, and completely ready for my newest challenge…or so I hoped.

I left Berk with the intention of coming back someday, and I tried. My Return didn't go well, so now it's time for my true Exodus. And this time I'm not coming back.

* * *

><p>END PART ONE<p>

* * *

><p>Author's Note: well, I end this [part of the] story on a bitter note, which was planned originally, though I planned for it to be a bitter break between Hiccup and Astrid. Things have changed, reviews have given me new ideas and goals and ultimately altered my story. As of right now, I plan to write Part Two in this story by just adding new chapters, but I plan on doing a few maintenance things first. I'm going to go back and create chapter titles at some point, and may even go back to clean up the chapters. I am even thinking about changing the name of this story, but I won't do so unless I know you all support a name change. This is my completed 21st chapter, and to date me have not Beta read or even checked over my work once: I write how I feel motivated to, and don't look back. It is a lazy and typically bad system, but I like to think that I didn't hurt myself too much. Comment on whether or not you can tell that I have never reread anything to revise it.<p>

But yea, this is it for part one. I plan on one more part for certain (I already have a very key, very crucial, very controversial pivoting-point for the plot) and after that I will play by ear. This has been really fun, and I definitely look forward to cracking 100k words soon. Leave comments, tell me anything and everything you think about it, because now is the best time for your ideas to sink into the story; I'm at a crucial plotting point where I'm going to take my best freethinking times (driving, showers, bored in class, etc.) to think of how the next part will go, and reviews have non-subtle ways of influencing the story. Twice so far I made a big mistake, my reviewers called it out, and I fixed it in the next chapter as if I had planned it all along! :D (Can you guess which two times?)

You guys have been awesome, and I look forward to Exodus: Reconciliation (or whatever I call the next part)!


	22. Beginning of Book Two: The Legend of Fin

Exodus and Return-us

Chapter 22

Author's Note: Alright, the miniature hiatus is over; it has been a little while, but I am back. I don't know how frequently I will be able to upload, but hopefully it will be soon. This chapter, and most of the next ones for a while, will have a frame narrative (a letter written to someone) but then will have flashbacks in between. For example, it would start off writing directly to someone in _italics_, but eventually I will either stop the _italics_ or I will show a POV change; either way, everything in between the beginning and end of the letter are written to the letter's recipient, I just changed the format from _italics_ part-way through so I could tell the story.

Book Two: The Legend of Fin (and the boy who hid behind him)

_Let me start of by saying that I'm sorry. I know that when I left, we weren't exactly on the best terms. Or any terms, for that matter. When I left I was angry and hurt and I wanted you to feel that way too. There are some things that I intended to tell you, things that you need to know, that I kept to myself as I walked out. I didn't have any right to walk away without telling you. Mom is alive; and she's one of my riders. There, I said it, now to what this letter is really about._

_ If you haven't guessed, this is Hiccup; not Fin, just me, dad. I know that it's been three years (more, Toothless tells me, but whatever) since I left you in that remote house. I left on a sour note, and it only fueled a fire that I didn't need growing. I know that much of my story may not make sense to you, but I feel like I should write it anyways. _

_Family is what drove me away from Berk in the first place, and now I feel like it is all I have left. Recently, it's been really hard for me, and I've just come off of an overwhelming three months that nearly destroyed me. People have died, wars have been waged, death has spread, and I have to live with the guilt of it all; right now, I just need someone to talk to, someone who I haven't already talked to. That's where you come in. I'm not naïve enough to think that you are going to give me sage advice; I doubt that you have clear feelings on me even now. I'm just hoping that putting my story down on paper will help me through it, and if I need to address it to "dad" then I will._

_You see, this all started with the dreams I had been having, even before I revealed my mask to you: Thor had visited me in my dreams, and told me things that I needed to do. He imprinted on my mind a list that needed to be done, and I can't write this list out for anyone or tell anyone what is on it; that being said, the list was the only reason I visited you._

_My next goal after that was to begin the glorious spread of the Order. One of the few things that Thor told me specifically was that the Order was destined to expand throughout the earth, so that's what I set my mind to. We just barely had enough for our Order Council, so we dispersed in search of more of the four rare dragons in the hopes that we could find riders for them. Now, of course Toothless wasn't too thrilled about being used as a tracking-dragon, so we took care of other business: the nests. We knew we would need a home away from home during our trip south, so we went to discuss it with the Screaming Death._

_Despite Toothless' discomfort, we had a great discussion with the Screaming Death. He offered to personally lead a group of 'Deaths to a city that was still within the Roman Empire, but was on the western fringe. The city was well populated and a good trade destination, but the people there weren't very good fighters as they were lovers. The Screaming Death told us that he would begin digging out catacombs well beneath the city that would easily allow about 1000 dragons to live comfortably. _

_Within a month, everyone had returned and we were preparing to make our journey. Four new dragons, one of each type, had returned with my riders; apparently, there were two more that declined but were not hostile. We flew to the southernmost tribe in the Archipelago, and started planning out our course…_

"Alright, so what exactly is our plan? Fly into Rome and tell them to…?" Thuggory asked. Everyone went somewhat silent as they pondered his point.

And then they stopped being silent. Everyone began to spout their opinions at once, and then they began quarreling over whose idea made the most sense. I heard talk about attacking Roman ships, making treaties with Roman outposts, liberating captive nations, but there was one crucial point that no one had thought of.

I hadn't said a word this whole time, but I figured now would be a good time to start. I drew my Scorch 2.0, and pulled out my ice shield. I had found that if I slice the ice with my sword, the ice would _catch fire_ and I hadn't show this to anyone but Toothless yet, so I tried it now. By the time I put my sword away, everyone had stopped arguing to stare at my shield (I can't blame them; burning ice is pretty odd). I retracted the shield, and the flames extinguished just like that.

"I'm glad you all feel so…passionately…about how we should proceed, but I think we are getting too far ahead of ourselves. There is one thing that you all have forgotten…"

"And what would that be, Hiccup?" Astrid replied with folded arms and a slight 'you think you're so smart, huh?' attitude.

"How do we get there?"

"Well, DUH, we fly!" came a voice from the back.

"Fly _where_? Which way is Rome?"

"…South?"

Now they all saw my point; I could see the gears turning in their heads. If we just flew south, we might just go over ocean until we drop from exhaustion.

"Well, how are we going to find it?" Astrid asked. This time it sounded more like she eagerly wanted to hear my solution. Odd, considering she just snubbed me not two minutes ago…

"We're going to be pirates!" I exclaimed, expecting that everyone would perk up to the idea.

No one did. I saw I bunch of blank and confused faces.

"You know, we're going to hijack one of those Roman ships and interrogate the captain, steal any maps…pirate stuff."

"So, as a good way to kick off our journey to _Rome_, you want to destroy a Roman ship? That sounds like a great way to receive a warm welcome…"

Oh great, snappy Astrid is back.

"No, just take the maps and interrogate the captain, then leave. We'll let the crew know how dangerous we are, then let the rumors spread throughout their empire. With any luck, we would become legends, or even nightmares. And when their emperor Trajan hears that the nightmares that have spread throughout his kingdom are in town for peace talks, he'll want to meet with us at any cost…"

"Trajan? I thought the Romans were led by some 'Caesar' or another…"

"Yea, well apparently that was well outdated. Trajan has been emperor for about 15 years now…I really thought you all would focus more on the 'we get to do pirate stuff' than updated info about a Roman Emperor…"

There were a nods and some looks that told me they had completely forgotten about that, and everyone just settled down a little.

"Now, of course, we aren't going _full_ pirate. We still need the captain and a helmsman."

"A helmsman?" Thuggory asked, fairly puzzled. Others around the group gave quizzical looks to back Thug up.

I looked over to Toothless and gave him a big "what, are these people stupid?" gesture, and he rolled his eyes. Thuggory didn't appreciate that at all, and neither did anyone else.

"Well, yea. You didn't think we were going to _fly_ to Rome, did you? We've gotta transport stuff, and _I'm_ going to trade for all sorts of goods; besides, if the flight is longer that we expected, we could have some, uh, _overly bulky_ loads bringing dragons down from exhaustion…"

"Why do I feel like that's aimed at me!?" Thuggory exclaimed.

"Because it is…"

"Touché."

K

_^Alright, there it is. Three Roman ships in a 'V' pattern, about five minutes out of the docks. Remember the plan, guys.^_

No one replied, and they didn't need to. I felt as if we really had a smart bunch of riders, and it's not often that I need to repeat much of anything.

Everyone lowered themselves from the cloud back, and circled overhead of the three ships. They stayed out of range of any harm, but they made their presence felt anyways.

_^Our turn, bud.^_ I said as I gently rubbed the side of Toothless neck absentmindedly.

Toothless dove down and broke the cloud cover, performing his ballistic moan whilst doing so, and pulled up low over the water. As we approached the ships, the men wasted no time in using whatever anti-dragon equipment that they thought could save them.

_*The little whelps! They didn't even duck and cower at the sound of a Night Fury!*_

We flew just above the deck, easily dodging everything tossed our way. I even reached out and caught a rock that someone threw, although I don't exactly know what he thought it would do.

_^Yea, well that's probably because you weren't stupid enough to have already attacked Rome and put the fear of Odin into them!^_

_*Well, we're gonna have to change _that¸ _now aren't we?*_

_^See, I told you that you'd appreciate my plan sooner or later…^_

We made a few more rounds to show the Romans that they couldn't do anything to stop us before the fun really started.

Toothless let out a few plasma blasts on the deck of one ship, and the following explosions shook the ship. Those nearest the blasts (which were aimed away from anyone and designed not to hurt the ship's integrity) were probably thankful that their armor covered their pants, else everyone would have a good laugh at their expense later.

_^Alright, that's good. They've begun to duck when we sweep by; land on the middle ship so I can have a chat with their leader…^_

_*And you are SURE that you will be able to speak with him? How do you even know Latin!?*_

_^I've read a few books for practice. I should be able to understand most of it…^_

We landed, and the deck went quiet. The ship was of simple design, with the front and back higher than the middle of the deck. We had landed at the very back of the back end, where the captain and helmsman (if the captain isn't the helmsman) usually are, with the possibility of the first mate standing there too.

In fact, that's exactly who we saw before us: three men, one at the wheel and two who had been right next to each other. Despite the obvious fear in their eyes, they collected themselves just like I expected men of such a proud military to do.

"Who is the captain here?" I asked them, but I got no reply. I asked again, but I feared that they didn't know any Norse, which is surprising considering they have come here to trade.

I sighed, then concentrated on what I wanted to ask them in their own tongue.

"Quis hic princeps?" I tried, hoping that it meant what I intended.

"You speak Latin?" the best-dressed man replied. I had assumed he was the captain, but I didn't want to insult the man…yet.

"Eh, I read it, but this is my first time speaking it to anyone fluent in it. I presume you are the captain?"

The man straightened his back, and resumed his proud and pronounced posture.

"Yes, I am. Would you mind telling me why you have attack a Roman trading excursion?"

He gave me as stern of a look as he could give me, considering the fact that I was the one with a dragon beneath me.

"Yea, sorry about that. I was just trying to, how do you say it,_et auditi__._"

"Well, you have my attention, although I'm not too pleased that you blew up my ship."

"Oh please, I didn't do any irrevocable damage. I didn't even hit anyone!"

"_Draco__requireris__" _he whispered under his breathe to his first mate, who chuckled slightly. I realized what he said, and I even laughed a little. They seemed alerted that I had heard what he said, so they probably wouldn't try that again.

_*What'd he say? What's so funny!?*_

_^Nothing, bud. Don't worry about it…^_

_*That means it was about me, wasn't it!? What'd he say!? Do I need to teach these guys a lesson!?*_

I ignored him.

"I have a proposition for you that won't interfere with your trading or anything. My company and I are planning a little vacation to Rome, and we are going by boat. We just want to follow you back to the mainland and go our separate ways from there. Now, of course, you can be paid for this…" I let them see inside a pouch I produce from my saddle that contained gems "…or we can follow the smoke and flames all the way back."

The captain looked to his first mate, as if for confirmation, before addressing me again.

"And what business do you have in Rome?"

_*I don't think these guys trust us…*_

_^Really? Wow, I'm shocked. I don't know if I can recover from this.^_

"Not just Rome, but the whole empire. When you ride dragons, you get around really well, and that's good for business. I merely wish to take my trade to new locations…"

"And why would we do this and allow you to cut into our trade?"

Now the guy seemed a little hostile, despite the fact that I am still sitting on a dragon. I nudged Toothless with my foot, and he gave the captain a startling growl (teeth exposed and all).

I waited for Toothless to stop before I showed the man my gems again. "Because there is a finder's fee."

With him put back in his place, he started to mull over my proposition more seriously.

"And this won't interrupt our trade schedule?"

I nodded, and I could tell that he was favoring my plan.

"We will wait for you to depart again, and simply follow you back…"

I slipped off of the saddle, and hopped down in front of Toothless. The captain had already made up his mind, and was calmly walking towards me. We met in the middle, paused, and then shared a firm handshake.

"Captain Perman, but you better call me Saul."

"Fin; and this here is Fate, the only known Night Fury in existence, and an _excellent_ shot, as you already know…" I gave the man a wink, and he chuckled as he looked up to find Toothless preening. Little did he know that we were still making fun of him from earlier…

_^You know, I don't think that sleeping _more_ is going to stop me from having these dreams…it seems as if we have a faulty strategy here.^_

_*Oh just hush. This is by far the best place to take a nap ever to be installed on a ship. That's why it cost so much, remember?*_

_^Remember? REMEMBER?! Oh, I remember that alright; rare foam cushions, which are expensive enough when you buy a normal pillow of the stuff, covering your entire napping spot! Do you know how much that cost me!?^_

_*No, but I think you're about to remind me…*_

_^I'll tell you how much it cost me! TWO Sapphires AND a decorative gold-inlayed dagger, and that was a bargain! I'm just lucky he threw in this thing for me…^_

_*And what would you call that, exactly? It's kinda weird…*_

_^Well, it's based off of a hammock, but it was made entirely out of that nice foam you like, and I had him put some small holes in the bottom so all that heat you make floats up here…^_

_*And how does it feel right about now?*_

_^…I'm not gonna lie this feels worth that stupid dagger…^_

...no reply, bud? That's not like you, unless you fell asleep: then it is totally like you.

I peaked over the edge, and saw that Toothless wasn't there. In fact, nothing was; there was just a gray, flat floor as far as the eye could see. I hopped down, and then my hammock disappeared along with the rest of the ship, leaving me alone in this flat abyss.

"Aw, come ON! Not another dream…I mean, it isn't that I don't _appreciate_ meeting with Thor, it's just I'm losing rest and I wake up even more exhausted."

"Well, fine. If you are going to treat _ME_ like that, then I suppose you will be meeting someone else tonight…" Thor's booming voice exclaimed from above me. I looked up at it, saw nothing, then looked back in front of me where a man in a mask and armor was standing.

"You remember Fin, don't you Hiccup? I really enjoyed seeing you two fight into a stalemate last time, so I'm expecting an even better fight this time!"

Great, the God of Thunder enjoys watching me try to beat myself.

Er, no; not like that, he just enjoys our little friendly competition…

Wow, I am not helping myself, am I?

"No you are not, Hiccup" Thor exclaimed amidst booming laughter. Apparently, he can hear my thoughts…how lovely.

I looked down at my side to find my sword at my hip, my shield brace already attached, and this time I even have armor. It's my light armor designed for combat after riding Toothless or while fighting someone of comparable speed and agility to myself. Fin was wearing armor that was _very _similar, go figure.

I drew my sword, and adopted a ready stance. I still haven't been taught much formal fighting aside from the few styles taught throughout the Archipelago (and those don't help me, since they are designed for meatheads like Thug or my dad). That's another reason I was excited to travel the world, so that I could learn so much more about proper combat.

Fin reverted to what looked like a natural fighting stance, as if he had practiced it for a long time and trusted it; he looked so calm that I knew somewhere within me that he had perfected this style under a really good teacher.

I wonder when I get to learn that; it would be really helpful…

Wait a minute, and I fighting myself _from the future!?_

Fin charged me with double swords, which is not what he used when last we fought in my dreams. These swords were long and thin (and doubtlessly tough Gronkle Iron) with a slight curve to them that just made them _seem_ more dangerous. Where the hilt was there was a bulge that went around the hand, like a guard, but was perfectly round and allowed Fin to spin his blades with extremely high precision. The blades were designed for this fighting style (or maybe vice versa) and you could tell by how Fin used them.

He charged with one blade spinning by his side parallel to him, almost touching the ground, while he held the other one across his body and pulled back behind his shoulder so as not to hit the spinning blade. The second sword was in a perfect position to swing with intense power across his body, while the spinning sword in his left hand (on my right) had potential to go unnoticed behind the other's attack.

I recognized his plan, and drew my shield on my right arm just in time to block both the side-swing and the spinning sword at the same time, leaving Fin open for a jab underneath the ribs. I thrust my sword underneath my shield in the hopes of ending this fight early, but nothing can ever be that easy.

Fin had predicted that I would jab, and spun one of the blades downward allowing it to knock my jab aside, and we both backed away to recollect ourselves. I knew that if I tried to challenge him straight up in a battle of technique and skill then I would lose, so I needed to keep us both taking risky moves at high speeds because that gives me the best chance to walk away alive.

If I knew this, then so did Fin, which means he would focus on staying close to me and pressing his advantage.

We both rushed at the same time, and I decided to try something I had been thinking about for a while: I drew my ice-shield and dove forward, landing on the ice shield and sliding forward with my body resting sideways on the shield. Fin had no clue that this was coming, and I took out his legs as I slid forward, stopping my progress and knocking him flat on his back. I popped up quickly and took the opportunity to strike.

I brought my sword down on the grass where Fin had been just half a second ago, but he had rolled away. Before he got up, I tried again and again he had to roll away. This continued until he regained a little bit of his footing, and instead of rolling away from my jab, he rolled forwards between my legs, and popped up behind me. In that moment, he had just popped up and our backs were almost touching. Fin turned around to deliver a hidden dagger from his leg into my back, but I had a plan also. I took a big risk in performing a really showy spin of my sword, but it left me holding it backwards, and I jabbed it beside my hip and underneath my arm, missing me by an inch but firmly puncturing Fin's stomach. I shoved the sword in a little deeper, and activated the flames that the Sapphire hilt give the sword, then let go of the hilt altogether and turned around with a smug look on my face. I expected to see Fin standing there with wide eyes, doubling over from the flaming sword in his gut.

That is not what my eyes were greeted with.

As soon as I turned around, Fin (still embedded with my sword) kicked me in the chest which knocked me to the ground. I was stupefied! I mean, I had put a sword in his stomach and now _HE_ had the advantage!? I found myself unable to move for a second, and that's all the time that Fin needed.

He pulled my sword _out of his stomach_, did a few fancy twirls and showy spins behind his back, and then thrust the sword into my own heart!

A gasp escaped my lips, followed by a few seconds of numbness, but then it hit me: I felt as if all the air I had ever inhaled was knocked out of me, and an extremely painful piercing sensation invaded my chest! And what's worse, is the pain didn't subside the longer I stood there (mouth still agape and froze from the gasp that escaped); if anything, it got worse. To add even worse things, the flames from my sword were now burning my own _heart_, and I could feel the muscle inside of me shriveling up in the heat.

"H-h-h-h-how? I stabbed y-you."

He calmly walked up to me, knelt down beside me, and proceeded to monologue. Just what I needed.

"For someone like us, we can't afford something like this to slow us down. _Both_ of us should still be fighting…"

I just gave him a bewildered look (or mostly in-pain, partially bewildered look).

"We can't let something like this slow us down. Who knows what might happen?"

That last part sounded like a threat. Or a warning. Maybe both…

But why would I threaten me?

Author's Note: Alright, I'm back. It's been a brief hiatus for me, but today I decided that I'm not waiting any longer to get this out there. I mainly want to publish this chapter now to let everyone know for certain that, YES, this story is still going, YES, the first 'story' is over, and YES, I am writing all of it right here. I am running on 4% battery so I gotta upload this fast, so it will be a short AN. Oh, and there will be a lot of foreshadowing, especially very specific examples from this chapter. Some are subtle, some are not. Comment what you think is foreshadowing and what you think will happen!


	23. What happens on the boat stays somewhere

Exodus and Return-us

Chapter 23

Author's Note: Yea, Yea. I get it. It's been a while. My bad. Sports have started back up, and I had five games in five days earlier this week. Combine that with college classes (such as a class dedicated to writing papers) and you have a very time-drained me. Right now it is Saturday and I feel like writing but I don't feel like writing and I've had ideas for other projects on my mind, but I have carved out the will to write this. It wasn't easy… :O Quick shoutout to Ddragon21 for being the 200th reviewer! This chapter ended up as my shortest chapter, but it was the only place where the chapter naturally ended and I didn't feel like I was ready to go any further yet.

Hiccup's POV

_The trip to the Roman Empire seemed to take forever. It didn't help that we were taking our ships down there, let alone following someone. Everyone became restless and argumentative, which just made it harder for those of us who weren't sleeping great (Ex: Me). _

_What really made the trip down there bad were all of the dreams. Usually a couple times a week, with the record being six straight nights (and one midafternoon nap), I would have almost the same dream: I would fight this other me, eventually succumb to the pain of my wounds in the fight, be put down by myself (literally), and then wake up in a sweat. It wasn't pleasant for me, nor did Toothless like it much. He hated the fact that he was helpless in this matter, and was also angry that he wasn't in my dreams; at the very least, he wanted his _own_ self-tormenting dreams so that I wasn't suffering alone. I knew that these dreams had taken a toll on me when instead of calling him 'sappy' I greatly appreciated the gesture. Toothless eventually learned to deal with the fact that there wasn't anything that could be done, and I progressively get better…_

…this time I blocked his leg sweep and parried with my short-sword. About a week ago, we started using equipment and gadgets along with our weapons, and while it sped up how fast I lost, it also greatly increased the competitiveness in me (well, _us_). It's all fun and games until you take a rod to the crotch and are _expected_ to fight as if nothing had just happened.

Why I always lost was that I could never withstand the injuries like my other self could. I swear, it was like I was fighting a little Stoic because he wouldn't even yell or grunt in pain. Occasionally, I got him to exhale through his nose harder than usual, but that was only as I twisted the blade in the deepest wounds I could inflict. And then a moment later something would pierce my own heart.

This time, I had already been sliced in my left thigh and deep in my right arm, but I was overloaded on adrenaline. I had inflicted practical wounds onto my other self, such as a slice to the ankle or a critical stab to the shoulder socket: things that, if the pain didn't slow him down, the structural damage would. I was doing extremely well in this fight, and I had gotten him down to his last few gadgets and his final primary weapon: a trident. I was dictating every aspect of the fight, and I was slowly gaining ground on him. I could see it in his eyes (a look I imagine plagues my own eyes quiet often) that he was calculating his chances at a furious rate and not liking the outcomes. Because he was thinking these things, I made sure to be aware of any last-minute, desperate attempts to flip the tables.

I decided to make a surprising move first, while he was still concerned with stopping my regular advance. I decided I would lunge to his left and right repeatedly to get him off-balanced, then when he went to block my sideways blow with his trident, I would get my sword stuck in the points of his trident. Keeping the trident-tangle out to my left, I would spin (putting my back to him) and use the momentum to elbow him in the gut. All I needed was for this to open his chest for one blow, and I would sink my second sword into his heart (the only way for a victory, if the number of times I've been stabbed is any indicator).

The first part worked perfectly: the weapons tangled, and I was left with a beautiful opportunity to spin. I took it. Next is where the 'risk' part of the plan comes in, and I wasn't prepared for what happened.

I spun, and ended up right in front of him, ready to launch my elbow backwards; before I could, my other self seemed to forcefully push or slap my back, as if he hit me with an open hand. Then I felt it: a blade has pierced my ribs, and penetrated my heart. I dropped to my knees before falling over, and gave my best effort to roll to an angle where I could see my opponent.

"Better. It was a wise strategy, but there was no need for drastic measure; don't let me get inside your head…" was all I heard before my vision faded.

I woke up, frustrated but also satisfied at how close I had come. It was more of a bitter-sweet feeling than of defeat, for the first time since the dreams began.

"I almost HAD him! Gah, to think that I outsmarted myself and that caused me to lose to myself…AGAIN. Not that this has caused my defeat before, I just always lose…"

I looked around the room. It was in the afternoon, which means I had taken a nap and had the dream, for only the second time ever.

As I scanned the room, I continued talking about the fight to the Toothless I assumed was somewhere.

"One of these days, I'm going to ram my sword through my heart and watch that smug jerk's face as he realizes that I'm finally good enough!" I chuckled at the irony and ambiguity of my statement.

I scanned the rest of the room: hammock I had slept in, few trinkets, Astrid standing in the doorway with a horrified expression, no black reptile…

"GAH! UH…Uh, A-Astrid! W-why, uh…uh…w-w-w-hat are you doing? T-this is m-my room, isn't it?"

The look on her face, usually undecipherable (save that _one_ talk we had), was uncharacteristically comprised. There was a part that seemed terrified, but I couldn't overlook the shock, horror, and _anger_ that was also contained there.

"No. It's not. This is one of the holds on one of your ships, where you apparently have dreams where you fantasize suicide! WHAT the HEL is with that?!"

I hadn't the slightest clue what she was talking about. I told her such.

"Hiccup…I realize that I might not be the first person you would want to talk with, but-but…_this?_"

It hit me: I just had a dream about fighting myself to the death. I hadn't _thought_ of it from an outside angle, but that does seem very symbolic of suicide, I suppose. And what I said when I awoke takes on a _whole_ new meaning when coupled with that…

"OOooooh…I can _totally_ see why you are confused, but rest assured that it is nothing like that Astrid."

All of the emotions previously on display perfectly meshed into that stupid "really, Hiccup?" face that I seem to be getting from everyone recently.

"Yea, because _that_ answers all my worries. How stupid do you think I am?"

I didn't mean to. Honestly, I didn't. But no one should _ever_ ask me that question. I opened my mouth as if to speak, but caught myself as soon as I realized that it was a trap. That wasn't soon enough, though.

Astrid's sarcastic look turned sour.

"Why don't you just tell me what's going on?"

Well, for starters, I don't really know. But the way that she blocked the door let me know that that was absolutely a rhetorical question.

I huffed out more air than usual through my nose as I accepted defeat, and bade her to come inside (not that she was in any mood to ask permission to come in). She closed the door, and I proceeded to tell her about my recent dreams. I told her how I would fight another 'me' and that nothing but a blade to the heart would stop my other self, and he expected as much from me.

"That sounds…awful. Is that why you're so good at combat without any decent training? You have dreams of fighting yourself?"

"No, these are only recent dreams. Ever since…" I trailed off before I revealed the whole story.

"Since what?"

I locked up, and her 'Hiccup is hiding something' instinct went off the charts.

"Since _what_, Hiccup?"

"…Since I met a god; Thor, I think…"

Her eyebrows went up farther than I thought possible, and she leaned forward in her seat.

"Since you had a meeting with _THOR_? The god of thunder?"

"No, the other one—OF COURSE THAT ONE!"

"Well…what did he say? Did he give you a task?"

"…kind of. I'm not certain. I just know that, for now, my job is to spread the Order around the world."

Astrid sat back and thought about everything. She furrowed her brow furiously as she tried to comprehend what she had been told.

"And so, in order to do that, he thinks you need this training against yourself? So you don't feel pain?"

"_React._ React to pain. I—he still feels it."

"So, in order to fulfil this goal, you need to be a pain-enduring killing machine that is unmatched in combat. _Why?_"

"…I don't know. I think my other self knows. Beneath all of the fights, he seems…sad. Like he knows what all of this is for and doesn't like it, or like something will happen…"

There was a long, pregnant silence, but nothing seemed to come of it.

"So, how do you plan on doing all of this?" Astrid asked.

"I don't know. I built Fin up so well back in the archipelago that his reputation did the work for me. I guess it's time to start that over again."

"Fair enough. How are you planning to _do_ that?"

"Um, better question: why are you still here? I mean, we talked as much as we could about why you forced your way in here…why are you trying to keep the conversation alive?"

Astrid averted her gaze, instead choosing to look softly at the floor.

"It's just…when I heard those things, I felt like…"

She trailed off, but I think I got the message.

"You felt like it was your fault."

She gave a small, sad (almost scared) nod.

"Yea."

I went to tell her she didn't need to feel guilty, but she cut me off.

"I know that it's been strained between us, and I'm largely at fault for that…"

I gave her a 'really?' look, and she backtracked.

"Okay, it was completely my fault. I know that…and when I thought I had caused all _that_ earlier, I felt even worse. It was like my stomach turned to acid…"

"Ugh. Wouldn't that be awful…" I commented.

"So, I just didn't feel like I had done enough to leave yet…"

"What are you, my mother? You know, she's probably up-deck right now. I don't think she would appreciate being replaced…"

Astrid threw her hands up in mock-surrender.

"Fine. I'll go then. Just…if you feel like talking more, or just discussing plans or strategy, I'll be here."

She turned and walked out without waiting for my reply, and I was left sitting in my hammock (she had let me sit there if it made me talk to her) pondering over what had just happened.

Toothless rumbled from beneath me somewhere.

_*Well, THAT was certainly very interesting…*_

_^WHAT!? You were HERE and you didn't say anything!?^_

_*Fair's fair, since you used me as a _stepping stool_ to get to the hammock!*_

_^I did?^_

I looked over the edge, and saw a lump of covers in the corner. Toothless' head popped out of the edge, and I realized that what was once a large pile of covers was just Toothless sleeping under one cover.

_^I swear, I always find you wherever it's warmest: covers, lying in the sun, heating the ground beneath you…do your scales do _anything_ to keep you warm, or are the decorative?^_

_*Aww, are you saying that I look good in my scales?*_

_^No, I'm saying that they're completely useless if that's the case…^_

From out of the covers, a tail appeared and whacked the underside of my hammock.

_*Seriously, though. You and Astrid seemed to have a really good talk. You didn't even babble over her beauty this time!*_

_^Shut up.^_

_*I mean, I couldn't see anything, so that _long_ pause with no speaking had me worried about what was going on…*_

I tried my best NOT to blush, but it wasn't happening.

_^Ugh, must you make _everything_ about my youthful crushes?^_

_*Oh ho ho, don't go throwing around fancy words. Youthful? As in yesterday?*_

I balled my left hand into a fist, frustrated that he could get under my skin but I didn't have anything to hold over his head.

_*Are you out of breath? Is _that_ what was happening during that pause?*_

_^Am I…?—NO, I am not.^_

_*Heh. Sucks for you, then.*_

Now I balled my other fist. If only I had something to throw at him.

_*But seriously, you seemed to handle that really well. Too well, really. I thought you were eternally cross at her?*_

I took a deep breath and ran a hand through my hair before answering.

_^I was. I am. I'm mad about it right now because I'm thinking about it. But whenever I'm actually with her, I can't seem to think about it long enough to be mad.^_

_*An interesting predicament, but this can't last forever. What do you think will happen when this all does fall apart?*_

_^Fall apart? Why can't I have a happy ending, riding off into the sunset on my black steed?^_

_*First of all, _that_ sounded weird. But fine, how do you foresee this changing? Something will change, that's for sure.*_

_^I don't know. I guess I'll reach a point where the time spent with her will keep me from getting mad even when we aren't apart…^_

_*…or you will reach a point where you'll be mad at her no matter what.*_

That wasn't a question. That was a statement, and I couldn't refute it.

_^Yea. Or that, I guess…^_


	24. Welcome to the Roman Empire

Exodus and Return-us

Chapter 24

Author's Note: Alright, I'm back. It's not been a month this time! I got a three-day weekend with nothing to do and the Thursday before it I didn't have any classes, so I've been active writing this week. I've started a second FanFiction story (because I obviously have _too much _time to write as it is) set in the Teen Titans fandom, so if any of you dabble in that area go check it out. I am planning to get to 100,000 words by the end of this chapter, which means I'll need 3,800 words. Let's get started, then!

Hiccup/Hiccup's Letter POV

_The trip down there felt like an eternity. When you can shot across the sky at breakneck speeds, waiting for the wind to push your boat is agonizing. I mean, we got up in the air and flew circles around the boats, but it just wasn't the same._

_It didn't help that I couldn't keep Astrid off my mind the whole time. Ever since she caught me having one of my dreams, I've been so confused on how I feel. Do I hate her for what she did? Absolutely. Does that hate just melt whenever I see her? Always. Have I gotten over her in the slightest? Not at all._

_So maybe I _do_ know how I feel; I just don't know what to do about it. I feel like taming a dragon was _easier_ than this. That was a similar process with much simpler outcomes: either my crazy idea worked or I would die and the village would be spared my destructive tendencies. In a lot of ways, the two processes are similar. But 'taming' Toothless was much more straightforward. I was challenging my hate for dragons and learning to love them. With Astrid, my love was challenged and overcome by hate, and now my love is trying to make a comeback. And this process has higher stakes because if I handle this wrong, I'll have to live with it _forever_. At least if I was wrong about Toothless I'd be dead before I could regret it._

_And to make all of this worse, I can't tell if Astrid truly cares for me or if it's all her guilty conscience. In all likeliness, it could be a mixture of both. But how much of it is the later? I know that I shouldn't ask questions I don't _really_ want the answer to, but I really _need_ the answer to that. This would be much easier if I knew she just saw me as a kicked puppy. Then I could just tell her 'I'm fine, don't worry.' Or even if I knew she truly cared for me, it would be easier because I'm sappy and that would win me over easily. But nooooo; that'd be no fun for the gods to watch, now would it?_

_And now I've got to establish myself as a left-handed, superfast, invincible freak of nature that should be feared when I can't even think straight concerning the girl who usually stands on my right. Thank the gods that they were merciful enough to allow me my mask. _

_I've found my other persona, Fin, is the best way to escape all of this. Whenever I fly, Fin feels free and powerful. Fin doesn't stutter, and his words are taken with heavy implications. Men flinch when Fin walks towards them unarmed, and even the strongest Vikings tremble in battle when Fin charges. He even _looks_ impressive, always sporting gem-infused armor and impressive gadgets I built. _

_My other side in everything I'm not, and life is so much easier with that mask on. _

_And apparently, Fin's establishes reputations in places he's never been. There's already lore of the 'Viking's Nightmare' that has traveled through the few ships to visit the Archipelago. A man with a frozen mask and icy shield who kills warriors with ease and fights quicker than Thor's lightning, who leads the most fearsome pack of dragon riders imaginable. My favorite is that the gods made him small and skinny because if he were any larger they themselves would be terrified._

_The Legend of Fin had already spread throughout the Roman Empire. So imagine my arrival in the outskirts of the Empire, on the island of Britannia. _

We had let the Romans go on their business once we arrived at the edge of the Empire. From here would could easily attain maps that would show us the way to Rome, and allow us to stop at all of the major hubs along the way. The three ships I had brought were laden with everything that the Romans said were valuable down here: _anything_ associated with dragons, furs, helmets, armor, and weapons (the last three I had crafted myself). It was a miracle that the ships could float, much less make the journey. I had intended to make three major stops at the three biggest trading hubs on the way to Rome. Hopefully, I would make enough profit that I could buy maybe one extra ship to ship back everything I acquired during my time. My plan was to have all my trading done and my ships sent back home before I met with the Romans.

The first place we stopped, the western edge of the 'green isles,' was just to get our bearings about us. Maybe find a good map and get information about the best places to trade on the route to Rome. First things first, thought: I must make sure the people here don't attack my dragons or ships. I should be fine anywhere throughout the Roman Empire as long as I can speak the Roman's language because shops would have to be used to treating Roman soldiers.

We docked at a port about average to the size of the Archipelago's ports. A crowd had already begun to form around where our plank touched the docks, and someone important looking stood at the front of the crowds with a mix of emotions on his face. I hopped over the side rail and landed on the plank about half-way between the ship and the dock.

"Hello. I am…" I called out in Latin before being cut off.

"We know who you are, _Fin_. Forgive the crowd; they typically mob against a different kind of Latin-speaking visitor…" the man replied. "What business does one like yourself have here?"

"I'm just passing through. I'm looking to spend a little gold on maps and food. You _do_ want to take my gold, don't you?"

Until now, the rather portly man had seemed stern and unsure of me, but now he started to laugh. It was a hardy, deep laugh that made the man jiggle as he did so. Despite all of this, there was the slightest sense of nervousness underneath it all.

"Are you kidding? _Of COURSE_ we'll take your money! To think, a legend comes through my own port!"

I walked down to shake his hand, and he didn't hesitate. He did flinch slightly though, as if his nervousness was boiling. As if he was scared of upsetting me.

Good. I can use that.

We got what we needed, including an extensive set of maps in Latin with space to write the Norse translations as well. We restocked on food and water, and set off with cheering crowds. Toothless hadn't been in a particularly playful mood, so he chose to instead walk around town with his head held high (to display his power).

All of the riders and I made sure to keep our masks on, but mingled with the people as best we could. Most of the riders still speak sparse amounts of Latin so interactions were limited. What they could do was spar, play with children, and show off their dragons. By the time that we left that night, we had a decently amount of people there for a sendoff. Not bad for our first stop.

But our next stop, Gallia? Who knows what could happen then.

When our boat was about a day away from the largest port in Gallia, Astrid came to me with the idea of flying ahead to make our presence known. This way, we could get some real flying in. That was all Toothless and I needed to here, but Astrid also said something about keeping our ships safe from hostile Galls or finding a place to set up shop. I don't even remember much of what she said: I was already getting ready to actually _fly_ somewhere.

Astrid and my mother, the only two who were even close to fluent in Latin, came with me. It was about an hour flight, but what we came upon was the largest city any of us had even seen. And from what we heard, Rome was even greater.

I spotted out several Roman ships guarding the bay, and pointed them out to Astrid. I'm pretty sure she listened to me talk about the advantages of blocking the bay entrance as intently as I listened to her reasons for flying ahead.

Finally, I spotted what I was looking for: the governor's residence. It was the only spacious, airy residence that was guarded on all sides by soldiers. The amount of important-looking officers that came in and out also supported that claim. Toothless dove for the open yard while giving his eerie whistle, and Astrid and my mother followed suit.

All of the soldiers around and inside the compound flinched at the sound. Even though they had never heard it, there was just something about the noise that said 'bad news.' I slid off of Toothless' saddle, and by the time I walked up to his head everyone had gathered around us. Spears were pointed, but no one said a word as the soldiers surrounded us.

_*Have I ever told you how much I dislike being surrounded by spears?*_

_^Have you ever _stopped_ telling me about it?^_

"Let me through! Make room!" we heard from the back of the crowd, towards the central building. Eventually, the man in presumed to be in charge made his way to the front. While he didn't seem afraid, he definitely was not thrilled with the prospects standing in front of him.

"Well, by Caesar's betrayal, if you're not the king of the Vikings himself. Fin, isn't it?"

I nodded.

"Well, you mind telling me why you've chosen to land in my front yard?" The man was wearing full Roman armor with an especially extravagant helmet. He didn't look like your typical governor; he looked more like a military leader.

"I've come to your port to trade. Tomorrow morning, my ships will arrive in your docks. It would greatly please me if I had somewhere to unload and sell my goods…" I put a slight hint of a threat in that last part, hoping the willingness to please me from my last stop also applied here.

This general didn't immediately kiss my feet, but he also didn't order me killed. He thought over what I said, before asking a question.

"Well, far northern goods usually aren't great, but furs are highly demanded. I suppose that would warrant a large stall, but if all you have are inferior weapons then I think you can peddle them yourself." The words weren't malicious, which is why I didn't immediately draw my weapon.

"Inferior weapons? Have you even _heard _of me? If you had, you would be angling for one of my _premium_ weapons as a gift!" I chuffed out the last part as if it was a joke, but left it obvious that he should feel like he's missing something.

I drew my sword-handle, and approached one of the soldiers guarding the perimeter. The spears all pointed at me, so I looked back at the leader and asked if I may demonstrate how my sword holds up in battle. He granted it, though seemed suspicious considering I was holding a pommel and nothing else.

_^Heh. Are they ever _not_ going to fall for my 'magical' sword bit?^_

The soldier broke rank to stand across from me in the clearing. He drew his sword and took a waiting stance. My sword popped out of the pommel while flaming, which caused half of the soldiers around us to flinch. I took a battle stance, and bade my opponent to move first. He charged, and that was the first and last mistake he would make.

He swung his sword diagonally with most of his power, anticipating his smaller opponent to dodge or block a powerful blow. Instead, and swung my sword upwards and met his in between us. It sliced halfway through his sword before becoming stuck, and I violently twisted until the sword was wrenched from his hand. I swung our combined sword straight down and retracted my blade, causing his sword to stick into the ground with the pommel up. I put my sword up and drew my two short-swords while performing a front flip. I landed with one foot balancing on the embedded sword, now looking down on my opponent with my arms holding. It was a trick I had had a lot of time to practice on the ship. I flipped backwards, allowing my toe to catch the sword's pommel and flick it up in the air. As I landed, I retracted my own swords and caught the soldier's, promptly handing it to him. The soldier was frozen in place, and shook out of it to take his sword and return to his rank.

"Well, I suppose that will work. You cut halfway through a broadsword, and your sword doesn't even have a nick! If you're goods are half as good as your own weapons, then I'll vacate the best stall for you!"

I nodded, and walked back to Toothless. Before I mounted, he called out to me again.

"I will decree that you all are here as guests of the Roman Empire! You are free to stay in my own home as long as you are here! As for now, if you wish to roam the city, do so at your own leisure. Your dragons will be safe here under my watch."

I nodded to Astrid and my mother to tell them they could dismount, and as they did so the removed their masks and left them on the saddles. We had had a big discussion, and decided that since no one knew us, we could go without masks whenever I felt it was safe. _I _still wouldn't thought: my mask would remain constant no matter the circumstances.

"Ah! Two women! I would not have foreseen that! I am assured that they can handle themselves?" The leader asked.

"I'd be more worried for anyone who tried to mess with them…" I replied nonchalantly. "I'm heading out to guide my ships in."

Before I left, I gave Astrid and my mother secret instructions.

_*Find out everything you can about everything. The people, the leadership, why a Roman military leader is in charge, etc.* They_ nodded slightly, and I took off for my ships.

One week later, things had gone significantly better than I had first thought they would. In only four days, I had sold everything from one of my ships. It almost _killed_ me not to sell anything from the other ships, but I knew I'd want to trade in other cities as well. Things that had seemed rather simple or plain fetched crazy prices since they were so far removed from the Archipelago. I think that the fact that they were buying Fin's goods also helped the prices skyrocket.

Coming into this, I had decided that I would 75% of what I earned on goods, save 15% to buy a new boat should I ever need one, and pocket the rest. I made so much money, that my 15% was enough to _buy_ a new cargo ship, which I need. I spent half of the 75% and completely filled my newly emptied ship! By the time all was said and done, I had more furnishings, texts, rugs, and trinkets than I expected to come home from the entire voyage with. I came into Gallia with one ship of goods and left with two AND a full wallet.

Not a bad week of trading, if you ask me.

The only thing that didn't go well was Astrid's report of the city. She waited until we were on our way to our next stop before coming to me.

"Hiccup, we need to talk about that city."

"Alright, I'm going on a flight. Care to come with?"

I mounted Toothless, expecting her to get on Nir and follow us.

"Sure" she said as she jumped up and sat behind me. If she didn't notice how surprised and stunned I was, then she had to be blind.

Oh well, I suppose this could work too.

Right before we took off, I noticed something that frightened me. I was already uncomfortable (and _very_ comfortable at the same time) with Astrid holding on to me from behind, but I thought I saw Toothless smirk. Before I could say anything, he performed his _hardest_ takeoff and flapped as quickly as he could. Astrid nearly fell off, and eventually found herself clinging to me for dear life.

Toothless was taking us for a _ride_, and there wasn't anything I could do about it. For a few minutes, Toothless' antics kept Astrid from even thinking of loosening her grip on me.

_*Oh, you SO owe me!*_

_^OWE YOU!? I was thinking of SKINNING you!^_

_*It's going to be hard to do that with Astrid hugging you as if the world depended on it! Come on, just enjoy the fact that she's almost melted into you!*_

I gave him a hard flick on the ear, and he grumbled.

_*Alright, fine. You asked for it.*_

I braced myself for even _more_ antics, but instead he leveled out. Eventually, Astrid realized that he was done and she unstuck herself from me. Now I realized what he meant: I regretted her letting go the second she did it, but I couldn't say anything. Toothless continued to smirk.

_*^Point taken, Toothless. You've still got it and you don't take 'passengers.'^* _Astrid mentally commented. If only she knew what he was actually doing.

"So, you wanted to speak to me?" I asked.

"Yes" she replied as she finished stretching and put her arms around me again, resting her chin on my shoulder. For a moment I internally celebrated before Toothless rolled his eyes.

_^HA HA! Suck it bud!^_

_*My bad. I didn't think you'd actually _want_ to be so cozy with her…*_

Suddenly I remembered my dilemma concerning Astrid, and the moment was ruined. I wanted to slap Toothless with an eel for ruining it, but part of me was extremely glad he did.

"It's about the Romans. I know they were friendly enough, but I think that's because we're rich (at least in their eyes). I don't think these Romans are good people…"

"Why not?" I asked in return.

"It was how they treated the people. Taking food whenever they wanted it, bullying innocent shop owners and punishing those who upset them. I didn't meet a single person who was fond of the 'Roman _Occupation_' but I met a few people who wanted to organize a resistance…"

"A resistance? That sounds like…" I trialed off as Astrid enthusiastically finished my sentence.

"…a good way to get slaughtered! There's no way an organized for like the Romans will tolerate a small resistance force! But if things have gotten bad enough that a resistance is necessary…?"

This was definitely troubling news. On the surface, everything seemed great. The Romans where hospitable and the city was teeming with life. Almost everything pointed to things being good. But perhaps that was the point; that was what the Romans _wanted_ me to see. If that's true, then it could be that the Romans are already vying for my allegiance, which although is a testimony to Fin's reputation it could cause issues.

"Hmm. The people of Gallia don't seem to be the resisting type…what do you think I should do?"

"Well…you said that we were waiting before introducing the Order to Emperor Trajan before we started our real business. Do you remember what you said about how we're going to do that?"

I chuckled. I did remember, and it was one of my better quotes.

"You said that we were going to 'march into the Rome on the backs of dragons while proclaiming pacifism!' I'm not sure that is our best option anymore. It seems like recently you would chose the 'fire & brimstone' option…"

"What do you mean 'recently?' Am I not the same guy who demolished Dagur's army or who brought Berk to its knees?!" I asked incredulously. There was a definite mock to my voice, but I also felt a little undignified.

Astrid tensed when I mentioned Berk, and her speech quickly shut down. I guess she had the same dilemma I did: she was fine until she _remembered_.

"It's just…recently, you've become much bolder. More brash, even. Which is why I think you may even like my suggestion on how to handle all of this."

"Oh please, _do_ tell now."

"Make our allegiance conditional upon the people getting the respect they deserve. If Trajan wants to avoid fireballs, then he need to get a better grip on the behavior of his men and the treatment of his _subjects_."

So, she wants me to say no to the _Roman Emperor_ unless he treats the people he conquered in far off lands with respect? Yea, that'll go over well. I wonder if he'll be more offended at the nerve of me to call their treatment 'disrespect,' or that I'm giving orders to him. There was a very large voice in my head that said that this was a bad idea.

But then again, there was a part of me that loved the idea. Stick it to the Emperor. _I'm_ the immortal. _I'm_ the one on a Nightfury. _I'm_ the one with a flaming sword and ice-shield. _I'm _Fin. Who is the Roman Emperor to stand in front of me?

"Interesting, Astrid. Part of me likes this plan, and the other part of me abhors the idea. It's a pretty even split, I'd say."

Astrid nodded then returned her head to my shoulder. We sat in silence for a few moments before she spoke again.

"Are we ever going to talk about _us_?"

Well, that's certainly random. Well, not really; we _are_ on a semi-romantic flight together, and she _is_ unnecessarily attached to me right now.

"'Us?'" I asked.

"Don't play dumb. You know, Hiccup. You've been enjoying me wrapped around you, haven't you?"

I blushed under my mask, before stopping on a certain thought: how _exactly_ does she know that?

Of course, the big, black, scaly answer is right beneath me.

"Oh, don't take it out on him. It's obvious the way your shoulders melt to the touch; you haven't even made the slightest movement away, even to readjust yourself in your seat."

"Fine. This does feel…nice. But that's just the problem: it _always_ feels nice. I hate you when I think back to everything that's happened, but whenever I'm actually with you I can't bring myself to feel that way at all." Not to mention that I can't tell if you actually love me or if you feel guilty.

"Well, I guess we still have a long time to figure it out, don't we, _Fin_?" I assumed she called me that to bring up the whole extended life part of being a Council member.

"Yea, that's another thing. I wouldn't even know if you like me or my _other_ me more. I mean, I'm not gay but _I_ would go out with Fin!"

Astrid let out a loud, quick laugh at that, before settling back down. She wrapped her arms around me, and leaned the side of her head against my shoulder and neck in a very familiar, very _affectionate_ way.

"Don't worry. Fin may be great, but he doesn't have nearly as many fun quirks as you do…"

Despite myself, that made me smile. Granted it was underneath my mask, but I'd like to think she could feel it. Who knows, maybe dating would cause our powers to intermingle? Not like anyone's tried yet!

_*This is all LOVELY, but I didn't sign up for a boring, flat fight for you two to have an awkward statement contest on my back!*_


	25. A Very Upset 'Wing'Man

Exodus and Return-us

Chapter 25

Author's Note: Alright, I don't know if this is some sort of FanFic initiation, but I posted last chapter much quicker than usual (as of late) and I _**F.I.N.A.L.L.Y.**_broke 100,000 words and I didn't even get a single comment from the last chapter. Either this was some sort of elaborate prank, or y'all haven't even checked since you assume my updates take forever :D. Either way, I'm back and already know that you guys are going to love this chapter, so I want to hear all about it in the comments. Whenever I get to 250 comments (I'm 41 away) I'll post my three favorite comments so far so if you have something funny to say then that's always a good bet. Now, READ! ;D

Hiccup's Letter

_I hope to Asgard that Thuggory never finds these letters. I already here enough crap from him about Astrid, but if he actually knew how awkward things were? I'd never hear the end of it from him. Well, maybe he wouldn't kick a man while he's down; I suppose even Thug would have a little more grace than to throw salt in a gaping wound._

_But yes, just when I thought that things would be better without Astrid, she decided to wrap herself around me on that flight, even when she didn't need to. It was a cheap tactic, but very effective, and I feel like we made decent progress that night; however, none of our dragons seem too keen on giving us 'romantic' rides anymore. Stupid black eel._

_Well, where was I? Oh yes, after I sent the ships back. I doubled my fleet and did _so _much more than that to my wallet, and each ship looked so full that it would capsize. I had mentally mapped out where everything would go, and was looking at creating a vacation mansion in this Mediterranean Ocean, seeing as it is so much warmer down here. There were multiple days where I even had to wear _short sleeves_, and some of the…people…Thuggory stumbled upon liked to wear even less than that. At least that gave me something to hold over his head._

_Now, we were on our journey to Rome. Originally, I just wanted to make a good impression with their ruler and establish a basis for a world-wide Order. There was still the problem of spreading dragons world-wide, but that was for another time. They needed a place to go before they could leave their homes._

_On our way to Rome, after my 'nightmares' had become a nightly occurrence, suddenly there was a night were I didn't have any nightmares. I couldn't remember having any dreams at all, and even though I woke up before anyone else, I still felt more refreshed than I had in a while_…

I slowly cracked my eyes open. I wasn't certain what time it was, but I didn't hear anyone else up and about, so it was probably early. I had made a habit of sleeping under Toothless' wing whenever we traveled through the wild, as it was not only warm but comfortable. Toothless always heated the ground, and my Red Death abilities allowed me to withstand that the searing heat. It usually cooled down to normal temperatures within an hour, but until then it was as if you were being tucked in by the Gods themselves.

Another perk of sleeping under the wing was that no matter what was going on outside, inside was always dark and calm. His wing helped block out some sound, and the darkness practically begged you to go to sleep. Occasionally, I would even forgo a bed and sleep with Toothless if I _really_ needed a haven from all distractions. There was seldom anything more comforting than a dragon, and I've discovered numerous ways that that's true.

So combine all this with that fact that I didn't have a nightmare? It was as if I had been reborn! My body felt as if I had just replaced every muscles with a brand new one, just itching to be used. I stretched my legs straight out, and I felt like a cat awakening from a nap. I rolled my neck, not having soreness from holding my head up. I stretched my arms, savoring the—

Wait a minute. One of my arms didn't move. It's pinned under something.

Well, that's certainly a way to jolt yourself back to reality. _Yea, I just woke up feeling great and now my arm is dead._

I took the time to focus on what I could feel. Toothless' breathing suggested that he was awake, but pretending to be asleep (or trying to get _back _to sleep; heaven knows he's good at that). Come to think of it, it was a lot warmer in here than it usually was in the morning. I usually slept only in my special underneath-armor clothes: a thin, soft shirt without sleeves that kept my armor from rubbing against my back and chest, and similar shorts that go to my knees for a similar (but much more _important_) task. Because they were light, it left me susceptible to colder temperatures in the morning, but right now I felt like I was sleeping next to a fire. It wasn't a stifling heat that made you resent the warmth around you; instead, I was the type of heat that welcomed you and made you feel comfortable.

So far, I knew that I _really_ loved the rare early morning warmth I had and my arm was pinned. Occasionally, Toothless leg would pin me down if I tossed around too much in my sleep, so the arm wasn't too shocking. The warmth could have just been a warmer night.

I decided to give up on the mystery, thinking it to be solved, and gently laid my head onto my shoulder as I tried to get more sleep. Before it got there, my head landed on something soft, and my entire body froze. There wasn't _anything_ about Toothless that was soft (save for maybe his fighting!), and it definitely didn't have _that_ particular smell. As soon as I realized the scent, everything made perfect sense.

That is, except for what in the worlds was Astrid doing cuddled into my side?!

_^Um…uh…Toothless? I know you're awake. I need some help. Do you have any clue why Astrid is here with me?^_

Toothless groaned a little at being disturbed.

_*Well, it had _better _not be what it looks like, especially not _under my wing!_ How do you even know that it's Astrid?*_

_^Because I could…well…tell by her scent.^_

_*Her scent? You humans have pitiful noses. How do you recognize her _smell!?_*_

I froze, realizing just how odd that did sound.

_*…have you been in the position enough to be familiar with it?! DO I NEED TO WASH MY SCALES UNTIL THEY FALL OFF!?_*

_^Ugh, no! It's not _that _weird, I think. I just, well, used to be really _lonely _and idolized her, so as time went on I just kinda got used to it…^_

_*Um, that's not much better!*_

_^WHATEVER! Just, why is she in here? Do you know? Oh gods, is she naked!?^_ As I was talking, that thought jumped into my head before I had a chance to…check. She was currently plastered to my side, and whenever you wear clothes for a while you don't feel them because you are used to them. So, I guess she had been here long enough that I couldn't tell _what_ I was feeling.

Toothless didn't think about that, though.

_***THAT'S IT! EVERYONE OUT!**__*_

_^Wait! If you leave now, I'll never get to figure out anything as she might kill me upon awakening if I don't have any answers!^_

_*I swear, if you make me regret this…*_

I started to move around, hoping that I would be able to feel clothes on Astrid and therefore keep Toothless from starting a huge commotion. If for some reason she _was_ naked, the _last_ thing I needed was for Toothless to dump us on the ground in the middle of camp and wake everyone up. I moved the hand from the pinned arm around, not really sure where it was. I'd like to think that I felt fabric, but my heart died inside of me before I could tell.

_*^Hiccup, you had better be _very _careful about where that hand is going!^*_ Astrid thought to both Toothless and myself.

_*I'm going to kill you. You know that, right?*_

_*^If he's not careful, you'll have to get in line.^*_

_*WHY do you guys always gang up on me! I still don't know what's going on!_*

Wait a minute. Astrid's awake? And she's still curled into my side? And I **still** don't know if she's wearing clothes?

What in Loki's left testicle is going on here!?

_*Wait a minute. You _know_ where you are right now?*_

_*^Yea. Don't ruin it, okay?^*_ There was an edge to her voice…er…thought?

_*Uh. Okay. Would you mind explaining a few things to me? I think it's safe to say I'm lost…*_

_*^YES, I am wearing clothes. Same as you, actually. The underneath-armor stuff.^*_

_*OH PRAISE THOR!*_

Normally I would have laughed at Toothless, but right now I was too relieved for anything else.

_^Okay, that's good news. So, uh, where exactly _is_ my hand, anyways?^_

_*^Well, think this one through, genius. You are laying on your back. I am curled into your side in a hug, between your arm and your body. Nevermind my legs…^*_ as she said the last part, naturally I had to think about it. She was straddling the side of my hips, meaning one of her legs was swung over mine as if she were trying to wrap herself around me and GODS I needed to stop thinking about this before this gets _really _awkward! *^…but that means that your entire arm is behind my back. Given that you're taller than me now, your arms go farther than mine. So what do you think that you have a _hold _of?^*

I'm not certain if that was bitter, seductive, sarcastic, or apathetic, but one thing was absolutely certain: I IMMEDIATELY let go of her butt.

_*Think happy thoughts….think happy thoughts…think happy thoughts…*_

With that behind us, I slowly regained the courage to speak again.

Oh, if only I knew what a good time I could have been having right there…it's not every day you wake up like this.

_*Um…so, how did we get like this? Don't get me wrong, I slept _great_ but I think I may have had a heart attack in the last five minutes._*

_*You started having another nightmare. Recently, you shake and shiver while you have them, and it's been freaking us out.* _Toothless chimed in.

_*^You've been doing it for a while now, and it's been killing me to know what you were going through. Last night I couldn't take standing by anymore, so I tried to calm you down.^*_

_*If by calm you down, she means give you a giant bear hug and never let go, then yes. That's what happened.*_

I couldn't see, but I'm certain Astrid shot Toothless a glare. I could feel it.

It felt dangerous.

_*^SO…once I settled in with you, the shaking just stopped. Suddenly, you just went limp in my arms and I couldn't bring myself to leave…^*_

_*Oh gods, PLEASE tell me that's not a euphemism!* _

This time I'm positive that she glared at him, and I joined in.

_^*And so I stayed the night. I guess I got carried away while we slept and just wrapped myself even tighter…^*_ Astrid finished. She said every word slowly and intentionally, as if _daring_ Toothless to say something.

*Oh, just—that's…_Odin_, why?* Toothless choked out. I mean, he literally choked after what Astrid said.

Suddenly, I got an idea: see how far we could push Toothless before he gets up. I just hope Astrid knows to play along, though I suspect she does.

_^Wait, so if one hand was _there, _where is my other hand at?_

Astrid caught on immediately.

_*^I think it's resting on my thigh. You know, the leg that's _straddling _your waist?_^* She said it slowly and partially seductively. Toothless had caught onto our game, and was holding out.

_^Oh, really? I thought I felt skin. How short _are _your under'-armor shorts?^_

_*^Why don't you move that hand up and find out?^* _Now, that was very plainly a seductive voice.

Toothless suddenly jumped up, removing our wing-blanket and exposing the world around us.

_*UGH! YOU GUYS ARE DISGUSTING! I THOUGHT ALL THAT CAME _AFTER_ YOU ACTUALLY STARTED DATING!*_ Toothless yelled that, allowing anyone around to hear it; before you knew it, there were countless human and dragon eyes staring right at us. Astrid had yet to untangle herself from my side. Somewhere in the sea of surprised faces staring at us were two people that would never let me hear the end of this: Thuggory and my mother.

This was _not_ going to be a fun explanation.

SCENE BREAK (RETURN TO HICCUP'S LETTER)

_Yea. That certainly entangled things with Astrid. I still hadn't decided completely, but the fact that she kept my nightmares away almost seemed like a divine push in her direction. For the next two weeks, as we scouted the lands around Italy and its capital Rome, Astrid and I would rest at night under Toothless' wing. Nir didn't mind; he was a bumpy dragon and it wasn't comfortable for anyone if someone slept under his wing._

_Once we decided we were ready for Rome, we made a line straight to Trajan's palace. We were one day's flight away when we stopped for the night, and like the new usual Astrid joined me under Toothless wing. That night, however, I did end up having a dream. There wasn't any fighting (and Astrid never said that I shook); it was just a dream of myself in that empty plane we usually fought in._

_As I looked around, suddenly a noise from above startled me and I drew my sword instinctively. I brought it over my head for protection, and I blocked a lightning bolt that I had _outdrew_. A voice, presumably Thor's, told me that the Romans were protected by their own gods, and that I was about to face by far my toughest challenge yet. Thor told me that all my training was for this moment, and I panicked. It couldn't be here already! It had barely been any time, and I had yet to defeat my other self. Thor told me that all I had done had prepared me for this, but that it was still a toss-up over whether I would _fully_ succeed. _

We landed outside the gates of a beautiful city. From the air, we could tell it had been teeming with life and business. However, we were more concerned with the soldiers guarding the gate.

"We're here to speak with Trajan, immediately!" I yelled from atop Fate. Everyone wore their full, colorful, terrifying armor, and the dragons had all been given war paint. Fate's paint was simple, with our crest (flames with two sets of eyes, mine and his, appearing through them) upon his forehead. All the rest of the dragons features sharp lines and brisk, sharp images to match the danger that they all presented. All in all, we were terrifying enough to send the average Joe running home for a change of pants.

These soldiers were no different, and immediately backed away. To their credit, they had the presence of mind to stand long enough to throw a spear at me. I drew my right arm up, then launched an ice capsule from my shield that split the spear in two on its flight.

"Take us to Trajan, or we will make our presence known another way!" I yelled, more furious than before. They dispatched a messenger to run ahead, and the rest of the men told us to follow them. They walked ahead to clear the streets, each one of them sweating profusely because they knew what walked just behind them: Fin had come to town, the one thing they did _not_ want happening.

Eventually, we crossed a miniature moat, similar to the larger body of water that normal travelers would cross to get to Rome. Now we were at the center of Rome, and the marble structures here were both brilliant and extremely sturdy.

We walked forward until we were in the middle of a courtyard, and we could see the emperor's throne on the other side, underneath an awning. Behind him lay a building I assumed to be the emperor's residence, and it encircled the courtyard except the opening that we had just come through.

We walked forward until we were fifteen yards away from the emperor. I rose in my saddle, then performed a front flip that allowed me to land in front of Toothless. It was a trick I had perfected just for this occasion.

The emperor was a powerful-looking man. I had heard that he first gained rise through the military, and was considered a practical man. He looked like he could fist fight a bear, and come out unscathed. All of the men surrounding him that weren't obviously advisers were just a threatening, if not more so.

"You're name terrorizes my citizens and stirs up my people, and you have the gall to show your face before me. Tell me why I shouldn't destroy you now, _Fin_." Trajan decreed. His voice was deep and powerful, and he was clearly not pleased with my presence.

"Because I've not come to fight, nor could you destroy me if you tried." I responded coolly.

"I'm afraid I don't agree with either statement." Trajan signaled for his men to engage, and they all threw spears directly at me. In all, about 20 spears came flying at me from the hands of strong men who knew what they were doing.

I timed the delay between the throwers, and sideflipped to my right to dodge the first 10. This allowed me to throw another ice cap, which knocked 4 more out of commission. 3 spears easily missed their mark, leaving only three more to deal with. I reached out and caught two by the staff-part before they could hit me, then spun them to deflect the third. All of that took place in under three seconds, but I had miscounted and a twenty-first spear came a second later, going right at my stomach. I threw my head backwards and my body followed, until I was at a 90 degree angle in my knees, and the spear flew above me. I plucked it out of the air with two hands, then stabbed it into the ground behind my head while still parallel to the ground. With the spear firmly planted, I kicked my legs off the ground and pulled myself up the spear until I was doing a handstand on top of the spear, before half-flipping to land with one foot on the spear. Now balanced atop of the spear, I returned my sight to Trajan.

"You're going to have to do better than that. It's not just me here, you know."

Trajan glanced back at Toothless and the Squad (the official battle terminology for a group of the Order), who all either snarled to stood in a way that made their threat clear.

"You're as good as the tales. What is it that you want, anyways?" Trajan asked.

I mentally patted myself on the back. Tough guys like to test each other out; that's just how respect among meatheads works, so I had to prove myself despite all the rumors of my abilities. Now that I had, Trajan is at least willing to listen.

"We represent a new Order in the world: an Order of Dragon Riders, called to keep peace between men and humans. We are not looking to take over land. Our goal is to see dragons lived throughout the world, and have men live with them, and even train them. We don't even require their loyalty, unless they show signs of a special bond. For your alliance, we would see dragons spread through your lands, assuming that the cruelty stops."

The whole time, everyone's heads had gone back and forth between each other, as they were clearly taken aback by our offer. We would probably get that a lot, and so I decided to throw in a clause about what Astrid saw in Gallia.

"'Cruelty?' I'm not certain I understand your meaning." One of Trajan's advisers commented. There was a clear edge to his voice, and he likely didn't like what I was insinuating.

"The treatment of your peoples, conquered or otherwise. Your soldiers harass them, steal from them, and even rape them on occasion. I have no issue with granting you the right to ride dragons as long as this behavior stops: it makes for bad trainers, and I will _not_ see a dragon abused." I replied. I finished in a very stern manner, knowing that it would upset them.

"You dare accuse our leader of leading a nation of rapists, while you are more concerned with your pets!" One of the largest warriors yelled. Trajan signaled for him to be quiet, as the emperor was still in thought.

"I image that these are more than pets to you. It seems similar to the bond with a warrior's favorite warhorse, though I suspect this runs deeper and dragons are more powerful." Trajan stated.

"Ah, so you are more than a warrior. Indeed, these creatures are fiercely intelligent and capable of mind-boggling bonds."

He thought for a moment more, and his party dared not say a word.

"I will overlook your _obvious_ insults to my name, and extend my full support to your proposition. I will _not _stand for any more comments such as that, and will not be changing anything about my reign. If you do not accept this, then may Jupiter have mercy on your soul, for I won't."

I thought it over. It would accomplish my main goal, but also give him the satisfaction of winning.

_*^Take that! We're not going to get a better offer!^*_

"And if I do refuse?" I asked.

Trajan nodded to one of his warriors, and they brought a hammer down onto the ground. Suddenly, from the clear sky above us, lightning came down and struck the ground in front of his hammer.

"Then you will have declared war on Jupiter himself!" Trajan answered, calmly but threateningly.

Almost every one of the squad told me to take the deal. It was everything we came to accomplish, and would be a huge first step. There was one voice I was listening for: a big, black eel who I recently had decided that I rather liked, despite his pride.

_*Lightning, huh? We can teach these insolent pricks a thing or two about that.*_

I couldn't agree more.

I drew my sword, which Nir had charged for me earlier, and sent a blast of lightning that caught that warrior in the chest and knocked him over backwards. He lived, but was surprised beyond belief.

Everything went to quiet, that you could have heard a grain of sand dropping in an hour glass. It was the perfect environment for my dramatic flair.

"Well, then, I guess I get to kick your god's ass!" I shouted.


	26. Et tu, Trajan?

Exodus and Return-us

Chapter 26

Author's Note: Alright, this chapter is finally here. I've been excited to write this part of the plot for a while, because it is the entire reason that this second story arc was conceived. I feel like the story got to this point quicker than intended, but that's because Hiccup forgave Astrid more quickly than I planned. Just one of those things, I guess.

* * *

><p>Hiccup's Letter POV<p>

_It was brash; I would have even admitted that at the time. Striking an opponent who possessed obvious capability unseen in anyone but myself? Normally, that would frighten any man._

_However, I had been training against someone with talents such as these for a while. And I found that I was not as easy opponent. However, I hadn't quite considered the challenges that the others might face_

_Things had gone from deathly still to chaotic in only a matter of seconds. I say chaotic, because chaos was the only way to describe this. And I was loving it._

_No one could keep track of me; without a unified front for either side, all you had were a mix of angry Romans, Dragons, and Dragon Riders. And then, in the middle of all of that, you had me._

"Bring the _Beneficiarii_! Do not let them escape with their lives!" Trajan was shouting from his throne. Off in the distance, I could hear the reinforcements coming, and knew that the time was now. Fortunately, I was small and quick enough to be easily lost in the commotion; by not spending much time attacking any one person, I was able to dodge, weave, flip, charge, and roll my way out of the cluster and approach the throne. Trajan looked smug, and four warriors stood side by side between myself and the Emperor.

"You may be the scourge of Vikings, but you have never seen the might of a _Beneficiarius_. Unlike my _Legatus,_ who seem to be having fun with your friends, these soldiers are blessed by more than one God: Jupiter _and_ Mars. They were bred for war, and hold immeasurable power. Do you think your pagan beliefs and dragons can save you?"

I drew from a pouch in my lower back two long, thin swords designed for speed and length; in essence, swords made to take on multiple opponents.

"They want have to!" I shouted as I rushed the four guards. They all took an almost identical defensive stance, with only slight differences to accommodate for their different sword styles. On the far left, you had a claymore, but left-middle held a longsword. Right-middle had a thin rapier, and far right held a broadsword.

I swiped in an upper-right direction with both swords, clashing with Rapier. I chose him first because he had the thinnest sword, which meant weakest defense, but also because he had the quickest sword and potentially threatened me more than the others. He blocked the attack, and launched his shoulder forward, knocking me backwards. He tried to stab at my unbalanced body, but I allowed myself to fall on my back and let the blade pass over me. Before I could react, the other three had sliced at where I lay: one at me, one to my right, and one to my left, in order to prevent me from rolling out of it. It was a smart, quickly executed plan, but I was quicker. I swung my legs over my head and hoisted myself into a handstand, allowing all three swords to hit the dust where I once was.

Now, I was doing a handstand with my back to my attackers, and Rapier tried to stab me in the back.

"No, not today" I exclaimed as I pushed off the ground and flipped over his sword. I used the centripetal force of my spin to whip my arms (and the swords the held) straight at Rapier's chest. I thought I had finally eliminated one of these men, but Longsword and Broadsword deflected my blows by reaching out with the tip of their swords and making contact with my swords. I landed with my swords embedded into the dirt, and myself down on one knee as I finished my flip.

_Man, these guys work well as a unit. I can't even get my sword near them_.

_Good thing I don't need swords_.

I was literally kneeling half a foot from Rapier, so I retracted my double swords and then quickly leaped at Rapier and drove my wrist into his chest. Protruding from my wrist was a hidden, spring-action blade modeled after something I had seen myself wearing in a dream. If I would someday use it, why not now?

Through the vertical columns of the Roman helmet he wore, I easily saw the surprise in Rapier's eyes. I quick glance around told me that the other three were just as shocked. I had figured out their weakness: closeness. They worked too well as a unit to try to defeat all four of them with swords, but once you got close to them and swords no longer were practical, they were weak.

I grinned; I was about to enjoy this.

_^ALL DRAGONS! CUT OFF THEIR REINFORCEMENTS! WE WON'T LAST LONG ENOUGH IF THEY ARRIVE_!^ I mentally screamed. _I_ might be able to defeat four of them with daggers and punches, but I doubt that my Squad would come out unscathed should a legion of these soldiers arrive.

I felt the Dragons comply, and wondered if my people would have it easier or harder fighting with less clutter.

Then I remembered that I still had my blade in someone's chest. I kicked Rapier's abdomen hard, and withdrew my blade. He suck backwards until he lay flat on the ground, with blood pouring from the whole in his heart. He would be lucky to last 30 seconds.

Claymore tried to attack me from the side, but I stepped to him, reached upwards, and caught his wrist before he could bring his blow down. With surprise evident on his face, I gave him a hard knee between his knees, and he crumbled straight down; my wrist met his neck on the way down, and left a large, wristblade-shaped hole in his neck. He would be dead in 45 seconds, tops. I gave him a roundhouse kick, with my foot colliding into the side of his head and sending him sprawling to the ground.

I felt footsteps behind me, and I spun to face my attacker. As I did so, I redrew my double-swords; my attacker, Longsword, had lunged forward in an attempt to ram his blade into the middle of my back. As I spun, my nearside blade went under his blade then went upwards, deflecting his attack and leaving Longsword thoroughly exposed. As I continued my spin, and Longsword continued to barrel towards me without any defenses, my far-side blade whipped around me and firmly lodged itself into Longsword's stomach; I suspected that I hit his belly button, because I perfectly hit dead-center. Normally, this wouldn't be a killing blow, but I kept a firm grasp on my sword and Longsword fell face first because he tried to tackle me (missed, thanks to my spin). As he fell, I kept my sword firmly held in front of me, and his force caused the blade to cut all the way from the middle of his stomach until it sliced a way out of his side, leaving a huge hole that would bleed out in 20 seconds at the most.

I retracted my swords, and all of the blood and grime that the blades held was wiped off. I had recently added a blade cleaner, so that retracting the blade also wipes it off. It came in very handy at a time like this.

I looked up at my one remaining foe: Broadsword. We circled each other, standing about ten feet away, and I drew my normal, ever-flaming sword. Before long, we both charged each other, and our blades met with a loud ring. We exchanged blows and blocks, with his movements almost as fast as my own. While he was a 275lb monster of a man, I was a lightning quick, agile, and small target who was covered in the blood of other 275lb monsters.

As I deflect his oncoming attacks, I spun around while still blocking a potential blow. It was a slightly risky move for the unexperienced, but when practiced it set up a powerful spin attack that would make even the biggest opponent cringe while blocking. Broadsword recognized my intention, and performed a drop-spin just as I turned back around. When one drop-spins, he drops to one knee and spins around, hoping to slice (if not cut off) the legs of his opponent. Seeing as I didn't have any desire to lose my feet, I front-flipped over Broadsword. He tried to stand up and knock my flip off-balance, but narrowly missed, and I landed right behind him, with my back to his. Before he could react, I had already spun my sword around and jabbed at him between my body and my arm. I felt the impact as my sword penetrated his armor, and I felt his body go limp as my flaming blade pierced his heart. I retracted my blade, and violently spun around, severing Broadsword's head.

He'd be dead in…well, he _is_ dead. No waiting for him.

I took a moment to survey the surrounding chaos. Off in the distance, I could hear the dragons assaulting Trajan's reinforcements. They must be doing a good job, because there hasn't been another _Beneficiarius_ show up. That seems to be the only thing that is working.

I looked back to where the others were fighting, only to see bodies everywhere. Looking closely, I could tell that no one from either side had died, but everyone had succumbed to wombs and subsequently fallen. All, save for Astrid. She was running up to me, with desperation in her steps. She was saying something, but for some reason I couldn't hear anything.

And then I looked down to find a sword protruding from my heart.

* * *

><p>POV BREAK (Astrid, Battle's begin)<p>

* * *

><p><em>Oh, damn it, Fin! We had what we needed! Why did you have to take what I said to heart!<em>

Fin had just shot the Roman _Legatus_, the one apparently blessed by their thunder-god, and everything went silent. Slowly, the _Legatus_ got back up, and gave a furious roar.

And just like that, all Hel broke loose. Dragon fire was everywhere almost instantly, but none of it ever seemed to hit its mark. The warriors that charged us were _fast_, almost as fast as Fin is. Everything was cluttered, and the split second it took to recognize friend from foe could be your last.

I was extremely thankful that Hiccup forced me to use a shield now. I originally objected, thinking that it would slow me down; all I needed was Mjöl, the special axe that could shift into a Broadsword in under a second. I didn't understand how the mechanics worked, but Hiccup had made it and I was intent on using it; what good would a bulky shield do me?

Eventually, I let Hiccup make me one. That was still during our awkward faze, and he threw himself into his work as if it was a great relief. What I received was very similar to his shield, minus the Ice powers. It consolidated into a wrist-guard, but would extend into a full shield. Unlike Hiccup's spinning shield, this shield had two semi-circles that would pop out at different directions, forming a full shield. As soon as I found out that the shield was lighter than my old wrist-guard, I was onboard the bandwagon.

And thank Thor, because I've been saved by this thing so many times already. Fin taught Nir and I how to charge the Amethyst in my axe, allowing me to fire short bursts of electricity when needed. I decided to save that, seeing as I could easily hit another Rider.

And suddenly, Fin's voice came into my head.

_^ALL DRAGONS! CUT OFF THEIR REINFORCEMENTS! WE WON'T LAST LONG ENOUGH IF THEY ARRIVE_!^

He's taking the dragons? We need them! I don't know how long we can hold without them! It's not like we were all given superpowers immediately.

The dragons complied, and soon the fighting stopped as the two sides collected themselves. This whole time, few people were actually struck, and no one is dead or even unable to fight. The Romans lined up across from us, and everyone seemed to have their opponent before them. I looked at mine: tall, powerfully built, and not a scratch from the previous scuffle. His armor bore a name in Latin: Mars.

Mars? I know that. My Latin isn't great but I still know that from somewhere. It has to be one of their gods, and from the _Legatus_' demeanor, it may be an important one.

Before I knew it, my opponent had rushed me, jump-starting everyone's battles. _Bold, and rushes into combat_ I noted.

His weapon of choice, a spiked mace, crashed into the ground where I was standing. I rolled out of the way, and struck back with an upper-diagonal swipe of my axe. He tried to duck, but hadn't anticipated how fast I could swing my axe, and I put a minor slice on the back of his shoulder; apparently, no one else has discovered metal like Hiccup uses, and it gives us a significant advantage.

I pressed my advantage by switching to my sword and going for a jab. _Mars…that sounds so familiar. What even are the biggest Roman gods_?

He had recovered, as if my strike hadn't even fazed him, and knocked my sword to the side with his mace. With myself unbalanced and both our weapons to our sides, he leaned back and kicked me squarely in the chest. My sword was knocked out of my hand, and I landed on the ground with a thud.

_Jupiter is the main god. That's where the lightning came from earlier._ The Roman walked towards me, with my own sword in his hand. Before I could roll away or crawl, he firmly planted his boot into my stomach.

"Formidable speed, but reckless. It was a nice try, I suppose." He raised my sword over his head, preparing to strike.

_The next important one is the god of war...Mars!_ I frantically looked around, hoping to find something…_anything_…that could get me out of this.

_I can't die yet! Not like this! Not when _we_ are finally so close! _

I noticed the Amethyst in the hilt of my sword, and how it still glowed with the power that Nir had put into it. Strange things have happened recently, and I can still feel my connection with Nir even though he isn't next to me, so maybe it's not crazy to suggest that I can still use his power.

The Roman began to swing the sword down, and everything began to move in slow motion. I closed my eyes and focused with everything I had, but I didn't know what I needed to focus on. A thought crossed my mind, about how we are always the most powerful and dangerous when we succumb to our emotions. Fin once wiped out half of Berk effortlessly; maybe all I needed was a spark of something _more_.

Inch by inch, the sword made its way from behind the Roman's head. I shifted my concentration to the darkest, most hurtful things I could remember, hoping to enrage myself and release something. I let my memories take over, and all of them seemed to surround Hiccup in one way or another.

I remembered the rage I held for Hiccup back on Berk.

I remembered the utter despair I felt after causing Hiccup to leave.

I remembered my humiliation, and the fierce determination I had to find Hiccup's 'killer.'

I remembered every drop of blood that Fin split that day on the island; I remembered every gory detail as Fin easily dispatched the largest collection of troops in Archipelago history.

I remembered I was utterly torn inside when I first found out that Hiccup hid behind Fin's mask. I remembered exactly how his eyes looked through that mask, and how I was paralyzed by them.

I remembered the injustice I felt when Berk was put on trial, and the confusion that accompanied it as I realized that Hiccup wanted that.

I remembered how lost I felt after the trial, and how conflicted I was when Fin attacked Berk.

I remembered how distraught Hiccup was that _I_ was chosen to ride Nir, meaning that he would never be able to escape me.

I remembered how much it stung to know that Hiccup resented me, and how much more it hurt when he wasn't afraid to say it to my face.

I remembered all of the pain that Hiccup had brought about; the sword had moved an inch, still not over the Roman's head yet.

I also remembered how much I missed Hiccup, and didn't know why, when he first left.

I remembered how much pure _joy_ it brought me knowing that Hiccup was alive, even if he is Fin.

I remembered when I finally got over myself and decided that I would make it all up to him; I remembered that I deserved more pain than I received, and made it my goal to keep Hiccup from pain.

I remembered how conflicted he was, and how hard it was for us to even talk.

I remembered how much progress we made, and how much I still had left to make. There were things I needed to tell him; I _couldn't_ die here.

The one thing I don't remember is exactly when I fell in love with him, but that won't matter if I can't do something here.

I opened my eyes, with the culmination of everything I had ever felt about Hiccup fueling my will to live. For all I know, my eyes were on fire when I opened them; they felt like it to me. I could feel an extremely powerful energy within me, and I knew that I could do something.

Before I even realized it, I had violently thrust my hand towards the Roman's chest. I couldn't reach the Roman's chest, but out of my fingertips a burst of lightning shot out, and caught the Roman in the chest. The Roman's body froze, tense from the electricity, and my sword fell out from his hands behind his head.

The Roman's body had been paralyzed temporarily from the blast, and he started to fall towards me with his hands still rigidly held above him. As he fell, I spotted a dagger in his boot, and grabbed it. _Why didn't I notice this earlier?_ With the Roman's body stiff, I was able to through off his balance and cause him to fall to the side. I scrambled over, and jabbed the dagger into his heart much more violently than necessary.

I scrambled up, and then looked up to Hiccup. He had just started engaging the last of Trajan's four guards. Without even looking around me to find everyone (friend and enemy) in bad shape on the ground, I started running to him. I was shaking internally, and all of the emotions I had stirred up had turned into a raging storm that was tearing me apart from the inside. I was losing my composure, and could already feel a few tears running down my face.

I watched as Hiccup flipped over his opponent, then decapitated him. Once that enemy fell, we locked eyes for a brief moment before my eyes went wide with terror.

"HICCUP! BEHIND YOU!" I shouted with everything in me. He didn't seem to hear me.

His battle had apparently been sporadic, but his final flip had left him next to Trajan's throne, with his back to it. I wasn't far away, but Trajan took Hiccup's distraction and thrust a sword straight through Hiccup's heart.

Instantly, I felt an indescribably pain shoot through my own heart, and my stomach flopped over and died. Dread overcame me, and I ran forward and kicked Trajan back into his throne. He hit the throne hard, knocking the wind out of him and buying me a little time. I didn't even notice; I was already at Hiccup's side.

* * *

><p>Once I realized that there was a <em>sword<em> in the middle of my chest, I felt the pain. It was excruciating, and felt almost identical to how it felt to be killed in my dreams. The only difference was knowing that this was for real made it sting even more.

Suddenly, Astrid had kicked my attacker. I fell to my hands and knees, and before I knew it Astrid had helped me lay on my side so as not to aggravate the sword. My mind was racing, and my eyes were having trouble focusing, but I fought through it to see Astrid crying more tears than I had ever seen in my life, from _everyone_ I had ever seen cry.

_*^No! No, Hiccup, you can't go! N-Not now!^*_

I feel like there's something I should remember, but it is alluding me. Something about this situation tells me I am forgetting something. From behind Astrid, I see Trajan getting back up.

"Beh-hind…y-you" I forced out, and Astrid turned her head just in time to dodge a blow from Trajan's dagger.

My world was falling apart, and I was in no shape to walk, much less fend off Trajan. I narrowly escaped a killing blow when Hiccup warned me, and now I'm fighting to see through my tears. I don't have anything but my shield and my fists, and I'm steadily losing ground. Slowly but surely my dodges are getting sloppier, and I don't have any fight left within me. I feebly attempted to spin around Trajan's jab and deliver an elbow to his face, but I couldn't muster enough strength for the blow to do anything. Trajan didn't even flinch, and reached around me with his free hand to put me in a headlock.

Trajan spins around, and Hiccup continues to advance towards us. The sword in his chest is gone now, and he's bleeding profusely from the hole it left, but looks deranged and determined. There's a fire in his eye that even scares me. I can feel how nervous Trajan is, and suddenly, feel the muscles in his arm contract. Hiccup makes some sort of movement, but I know that it won't be enough.

_*^Hiccup…I Love you.^*_

* * *

><p>Trajan went after Astrid, and what's left of my blood began to boil. Suddenly, everything had cleared up. My training in the dreams: I had been practicing how to keep fighting even with a 'killing' blow to heart. My other, colder self kept telling me that I had to fight through it, or else. Now I know what the or else is, and he's attacking Astrid!<p>

I pushed myself into a standing position, grabbed the blade, and pushed it back out the hole it made.

_Okay, that's done. I only have 60 seconds before I black out_

I started walking towards Trajan, coming from behind him. It isn't far unless you have a hole in your chest; _then_ it is pretty far, and they are actively moving away from me as Trajan presses on.

_50…_

I'm a third the way there, and Astrid doesn't look like she's going to make it for much longer.

_40…_

I'm halfway there, and Astrid still is struggling. Her movements are sluggish, and Trajan is easily fighting her into a corner.

_20…_

I'm right behind Trajan, but he has Astrid captive in his arms. He turned around with an evil grin as he held a blade to her neck.

_18…_

Trajan starts to laugh maniacally. All he sees is that he has Astrid, and I'm about to die. I'll prove him wrong on that last one.

_16…_

I keep walking towards him, dropping the sword I was holding to show my compliancy. "Stay back, or she's dead like you!" He demands.

_14…_

I make eye contact with Astrid, and see the fear and pain in her eyes. It only makes me angrier, and I prepare my final move.

_12…_

"You WILL let her go, or you will never live to regret it!" I screamed with every drop of hatred within me.

_10_…

I twist my body, launching an ice shield straight at Trajan's head.

_9.95…_

_*^Hiccup…I Love you*^_ Astrid tells me. Her voice contained a combination of peace and fear that only dying can bring.

_9.9…_

Trajan flinched, and makes a deep slice in Astrid's throat.

_9.89_…

My ice shield splits Trajan's head into two pieces, killing him. Astrid falls to the ground, and I am laying there with her before even I know it.

We're just here on the ground, facing each other as we bleed out. I can see Astrid struggle to breathe, and as much blood pours from her throat as pours from my chest. Neither of us have long.

As we lay there, looking into each other's' eyes, the gravity of the situation hits me. As I realize what's happening, I start to cry and use all of my remaining strength to grab Astrid's hand.

_1..._

_^Astrid…I love you.^_

And then everything went black.

Nothing but black.

I couldn't feel.

I couldn't see.

I couldn't think.

There was nothing.

And I know that there was nothing, but for some reason, I still as if I can see my other, colder self. His fists are clenched. He's furiously shaking his head. It's obvious what he wants to say. I failed.

But everything is still black.

I don't know how long the blackness stayed, but suddenly I started to come out of it. It was almost like being born into a new body. I cracked my eyes, and felt as if I had seen light for the first time ever. My entire body ached, and I slowly came into focus.

I was in a bed. I didn't immediately recognize the room, but it felt like home somehow. Very earthy, just like the Nests.

I looked around, and saw Astrid standing next to my bed. Despite the agonizing burn in every inch of my body, I shot my arm out and grabbed her arm as if the world depended on it. Mine _did_.

"Astrid?" I forced out, extremely raspy.

Once my hand made contact with her, she disappeared and in her place stood Thuggory. _I must have imagined her, and when I tried have her she vanished. __Story of my life__…_

"…No, Hiccup. Astrid…she wasn't like you. You…_survived_…somehow. You shouldn't have. There's no reason that you should be alive now, but every reason why Astrid _isn't_." Thuggory told me. It wasn't mean at all; he was choking back a sob, and seemed as if he was truly bothered by how things went down.

"She's…?"

_*Astrid is dead, bud. For a week, now_.* Toothless tried to soothe me from the other side of the bed. He knew that no matter what he did, he couldn't take away my pain.

He was right.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Yea, so this one was important. It's never supposed to be an easy decision to kill off a main character; I thought this would be simple, but I'm having mixed feelings even as I write this. I've planned for this to happen since the beginning of 'Book 2' and now that it is here I'm interested to see your responses. I am a lot more cynical and dark than most people (most FF's are really fun and happy) so killing off main characters is exciting for me, but I know that many of you probably aren't big fans of <em>Astrid<em> dying. I would love to know what possibilities you foresee this causing, how you felt as you read this, or what you think of this second arc's plot as a whole now that the central cog is revealed.

As always, review, and be completely honest. I've had nothing but good reviews, so I have finally given you something you may not like! Give me your honest thoughts, I can handle it! :P


	27. Soul-less Eyes and Matching Body

Exodus and Return-us

Chapter 27

Author's Note: I am briefly going to move this story to 'M' for the violence that is and for the violence that is about to come. Not for anything else (there isn't anything left for that anyways). Just violence, hate, strong themes and blood. If you guys tell me that you think it is fine staying at 'T' then I will move it back.

Thuggory's POV

I know that I've had a week to try to understand this, but I still feel like too much has happened too quickly. Astrid's _gone_. Trajan's dead. Hiccup's was dead, until he wasn't. He just decided to wake up after being dead for a weak.

And what's worse, I don't think Hiccup woke up. Just Fin.

And that's where I find myself. The look on Hiccup's face when he found out about Astrid nearly killed me. There was so much despair on his face, and he looked so _ashamed_. Like he blamed himself. His face spoke of utter, heartbreaking failure, until rage set in. Rage is the only thing it could have been, because normal anger wouldn't have done _that._ Normal anger wouldn't have driven him to try to stand.

"WHOA! Slow down there, Hiccup! You were dead last week!" I said while intervening. He had barely forced himself onto his feet before I made sure he say back down.

Hiccup's face soured, and he didn't appreciate the effort I'm making to keep him alive.

"Stop. I have better things to do than sit in a bed."

"Oh yea? Like what, exactly?" I challenged.

He didn't answer verbally. But he told me everything I needed to know just by the look he gave me. I could see the desire for revenge burning in his eyes, and his body language screamed of pent up anger. Beside the hatred flowing in him, he looked…distant. Like his conscience had taken a backseat, and let his impulses take over.

"I'm not letting you do that, Hiccup. Especially not when you should be _dead_! You mind telling me why you're still here with us?"

Hiccup tried to push me aside, and only half-responded to my question. He obviously didn't want to talk about it, but it's not exactly something I was going to let slide.

"The gods have a very _twisted_ sense of humor…" he mumbled. After he said that, Toothless growled sharply from the corner, and Hiccup's head snapped to the side to make eye contact with him. They must have hid their words from me, because all I saw was a silent staring match, one where either Hiccup won or didn't care if he lost.

Hiccup tried to push me aside so that he could stand, and this time used substantially more force. I was knocked off balance, and Hiccup used the opportunity to spring up.

"Not so fast! I know that you aren't telling me something! How did you survive, Hiccup?!" I said as I grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to stop. He winced as I tugged because it strained where he had been stabbed, and turned around furiously.

"I'M ALIVE BECAUSE THOR IS A DICK!" Hiccup shouted as he turned. He spun with the intention of sucker-punching me in the gut, but seemed as if his hand involuntarily twinged so that he pushed air at me with his palm. As he did so, his fingers stretched towards me, and suddenly lightning shot out from his fingertips. The blast caught be in the stomach and knocked me back into the wall, and I slid down until I was on my rear.

The room was dead quiet, save for the _zap_ and the _thud_ from the altercation. I sat there stunned, without a clue as to what happened. The lightning itself hadn't done much more than stun me and fling me backwards, but it did knock my breath out of me. Toothless had been charging to block Hiccup's blow, but flinched when the lightning shot out. He looked like a cat that had been rudely scared awake, as he stood with his back arched and eyes as wide as he could get them.

And then there was Hiccup. He examined his hand with a look of benign curiosity on his face, as if what happened was interesting but not _that_ interesting. Neither Toothless nor I dared to move as Hiccup seemed to accept the fact that yes, lightning shot out of him.

"If Thor thinks that this is funny, then he's got another thing coming to him…" Hiccup mumbled, as if he forgot that anyone else was he.

Hiccup started limping towards the door, without saying another word. He stopped by the corner, where all of his and Astrid's gear had been hastily stashed. Though I could only see part of his face, I could clearly see a hurricane of emotions swirling in his head. Before him lay both his own and Astrid's blood-stained armor, the last tangible symbol of her left. I could almost _feel_ the pain Hiccup was going through just by staring at her armor. _I_ almost wanted to cry.

After what felt like forever, Hiccup found the resolve to take action. He slowly put on his own armor (stains and all) before looking down at the hole in his chest where Trajan's sword had pierced him. He grabbed a dagger, and picked up difference pieces of Astrid's armor; Hiccup slowly began cutting out the numerous Sapphires in Astrid's armor, then put them all in a pouch at his side. With that done, he turned to face the wall beside the armor where all of their weapons had been put. He slowly rearmed himself with his weapons, starting with his flaming sword and ending with his bo-staff. When he was done, all that was left where Astrid's spare daggers and her axe.

Hiccup took another second of silence to think, before arming himself with Astrid's daggers. With that done, he bent down to pick up her axe, and when he did, the Sapphire in the handle violently flashed bright purple.

Now completely armed with more blades than I had ever seen, Hiccup shuffled even more slowly to the door. As he opened it, Toothless finally broke the silence.

_*SO THAT'S IT?! YOU'RE JUST GOING TO WALK OUT, AND LEAVE?! WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING! NO ONE IS GOING TO TAKE YOU OUT FOR REVENGE, ESPECIALLY NOT ME!*_

I hadn't been privy to their conversation before this, but given the desperation in Toothless voice, I'd say that Hiccup was even willing to leave Toothless behind right now.

_^Well, I guess we'll see what happens…_^ Hiccup announced in a low, threatening voice that screamed 'I have a plan.' Hiccup drew his bo-staff and started using it like a cane, then walked out the door.

"What does he think he's going to do? He can barely walk _without_ all that armor! And he already killed Trajan! Who is he mad at?!" I exclaimed, only half-hoping Toothless would answer. I had really said it so the question didn't burn a hole in my head.

After a long silence where Toothless and I stared out the door, he finally responded.

_*He's mad at the world, and furious at those above it. I think he's going to try to get _their_ attention in any way he can…*_

POV BREAK (TOOTHLESS' POV)

Silence. It was surprising for a room of this size, but it was indeed silent. After the…incident…in Rome, everyone scrambled to find someplace to hole up. Fortunately, the Screaming Death's packs had made it to the near edge of Galia and had already established a rough Forward Operating Nest, as they called it. It was simple—just a nest carved into the ground—but was spacious and secure. Now, we were all gathered into the center room, which was the only place big enough for all dragons and riders.

Everyone, save one.

I scanned the room: everyone was accounted for. Most dragons rested on their stomachs, with their riders, leaning or sitting against them, but no one looked comfortable. Stiff posture seemed to infect everyone, and the silence was almost deafening. Not to mention how unsure and nervous everyone looked. Seeing your two best leaders die is rough, but then seeing one of them miraculously come back to life, only to be maddened with rage?

Well, that's tough on anyone. And now the Council is effectively leaderless. Fortunately, Thuggory has tried to take the reins, and no one seems to have a problem with that. I suppose right now, as long as _someone_ leads, it doesn't much matter who it is.

"Alright, I know this is difficult. But we all need to be on the same page here. I don't think we need any rumors or half-truths floating around, and we _are_ the highest authority of our Order, so I'd like for everyone to be completely honest. Anything short of that is a luxury that we cannot afford." Thuggory broke the silence. At their own pace, everyone accepted the wisdom of his words. He also cleverly reminded everyone here that we are the pinnacle of Dragon Riding, and as such we need to take charge. I would almost be impressed by his strategy if he didn't sound so troubled and ominous.

"So in that spirit, I'll tell you what I know, and what I _fear_. I know that Hiccup is no ordinary person; if you get to know him, you will quickly learn that he has one of the greatest hearts I've ever seen…" Thuggory announce, while I absently nodded. "But he's closed himself off. His kindness only bleeds through the cracks of his mask, and I can't really say I blame him; he's gone through more mental torture in his short life than I care to think of."

I wanted to get angry at those who caused said pain, but given recent events with the people who once tortured him, the anger died before it started. I resumed scanning the room, looking at solemn faces, until I stopped on Valka. I wonder what she's thinking; it's no secret that she disapproved of what Hiccup endured at Berk, but she was never there. How involved does she feel, knowing that she could have been there to stop this?

"I think Hiccup didn't plan on revenge; from what Toothless tells me, he just wanted to be free of Berk. Escape the pain and tend to his wounds, then perhaps return when he was ready. But fate didn't allow him that. All it took was a chance encounter with Cami and myself, and Hiccup was wrapped up in Archipelago politics. Such a pity, to run from pain only to be wrapped up in _politics_…" Thuggory softly joked, getting a few laughs from some of the older riders. "It was at that time that things changed; Hiccup's survival plan was a desperate attempt to escape the world, but…" Thuggory trailed off, mentally struggling to express the next part.

_*But when that failed, Hiccup was forced to discover another means of survival…one filled with direct confrontation, mental and physical toughness, and emotional battles with old _demons_…and Hiccup was woefully unable to survive this new role alone…*_ I added.

Thuggory nodded to thank me for helping before he took charge again.

"So instead, the creative little punk invented something to bring him through this new challenge: a hardened shell to protect his fragile interior…_Fin_."

Heads absently nodded in agreement, while some only reacted with widened eyes.

"I think, originally, Fin was created to serve a purpose: be everything Hiccup couldn't. On that scale, he succeeded. But I think that Fin has grown into more; the more Hiccup needed Fin, the stronger he grew. Fin enabled Hiccup to harm those who had harmed him, until Hiccup was seemingly split between himself, and Fin. It seemed that inside the safety of the Nests, where Fin wasn't needed as much, Hiccup held a firm control over himself, but whenever he left he hid himself behind Fin…" He trailed off.

_*We all encouraged Fin, Hiccup and myself more than anyone. For a while, Fin held firmer control over Hiccup than even Hiccup did. Hiccup so freely gave up control and encouraged Fin that it truly seemed as if Hiccup was only a side of Fin. This was seemingly harmless, and Fin appeared to be too deeply entrenched to be removed, until we attacked Berk…*_

Now, most of the heads where surprised. There were even a few people who dared to ask questions, but they were all summed up by Valka's inquiry.

"Why? Wouldn't the turmoil and difficulty only increased Hiccup's dependency on Fin?"

"Yes, it would. And it did, but there was something that stirred the old Hiccup there too. You all remember too well what happened that day, the _confrontation_ that confused the hell out of everyone…" Thuggory replied, trailing off for effect at the end.

"You mean that…?" Valka involuntarily trailed off.

_*Astrid. She's always held a power of Hiccup. I always thought it was a crush, and teased him accordingly…but she stirred Hiccup so much that Fin was relegated to the back of his mind during that event.*_

I could see it now: the gears were spinning in everyone's heads. Implications, paired with recent events, started to dawn on the crowd.

"Many of you couldn't see it (a testament to how closed off Hiccup has grown), but Astrid's presence always screwed with Hiccup's mind. It was only recently that Hiccup ignored what Fin would do (that is, stick it to Astrid) and finally allowed himself to love her again. Astrid seemingly restored Hiccup to his old self, only to die a few days later in a violent and heartbreaking manner…

"So _that's_ what we are dealing with. I don't know what Hiccup will do from here, but I can't imagine the pain he's in. He can't be allowed to leave—I fear he will do something drastic—and should be watched closely." Thuggory finished, and waited for anyone to say anything.

"So what happens now? He just tried taking control away from Fin, and that got her killed… He's likely to give complete control over to Fin in an attempt to alleviate his pain and guilt, and I can't imagine that Fin will be very happy…" Valka mused aloud.

_*I'm just afraid of what Fin might do if he was released upon the world right now.*_

Thuggory nodded sheepishly, as if I had taken the words out of his mouth.

"I can't begin to think. Really was lucky how we can keep him cooped up here…"

As the 'talk' began to die down, everyone regained the courage to whisper to their neighbor. I scanned the room one more time, but this time I felt like I was missing something.

_*Thug, are we…missing anyone?*_ I asked hesitantly.

_*^Well, DUH! Hiccup, for one.^*_ He replied.

I shot him a 'you know what I meant' look, and he put his hands up innocently.

_*^Hey, it's important we don't lose our humor, or ourselves, right now. Hiccup has that area covered…^*_ He defended himself, though his voice lost its humor as he went on.

I wasn't convinced. It felt like I was missing something.

POV BREAK (FIN'S POV)

It wasn't any secret what was going on. Everyone was pestering me, asking how I felt or offering a shoulder to cry, when they suddenly just…stopped. Usually, when you ask to be left alone, you don't get your wish. But when you do, and _everyone_ has mysteriously left for the main area, you kinda know what's up. A meeting, about me, that gives me space while they figure out how to contain me. Is this _really_ the Order I envisioned?

No, but this does work perfectly for me. I had already mended my armor, using _her_ sapphires to cover the hole in my heart. Literally. Such as sappy thing to do, but it also would hold power over anyone who knew its meaning.

Now, I just needed to get out of here. I had the perfect chance; those patronizing buffoons had left me alone, thinking I couldn't escape on my own. They were correct there, but they weren't as clever as I am. It didn't take much searching to find my target. Laying in a dark corner, brooding over Astrid's death, was Nir. The one person I could count on to take this properly. My one remaining ally.

As I approached, Nir looked me in the eyes. I saw the pain, confusion, loss, and smoldering _rage_ in his eyes. Good; Skrills are known to have a temper anyways, and right now I need to access that.

_^I've heard tell that you're sulking, and can't come to terms with reality. Seems everyone has recovered from _her_ death far too quickly, if you ask me.^_

Nir didn't reply, but did slightly raise his head from the ground. I had his attention. _Good, I can use that_.

_^'Live and let live'? What sort of remembrance is that? Sorry, _**Astrid**_, but we decided that it was better if those responsible had to come to terms with their guilt by themselves. Disgusting, to even think that way. Those people need a _lesson_.^_

Nir had now risen his head to my eye-level, intrigued by words. I could already see that I was fanning flames that were ready to consume.

_^*What do you intend to do? Trajan is dead, by your own hands…*^_

_^Oh, this goes much deeper than Trajan, and you know it. He was just an embodiment of what was wrong; he wasn't the actual issue. These people have no respect, no_ fear_, of what we can do. What we _will_ do. We stand on the brink of uncomprehendable power, and these fools think themselves mighty because they can control peasants. It isn't right, and someone needs to show them what we can really do. Emperors, generals, captains, legionaries, councilmen, oligarchs…the lot of them think they have power. I want your help to show them the meaning of the term._^

I could tell he was already onboard. I really didn't need to inspire him anymore, but extra rage never hurt anyone.

Actually, extra rage _always_ hurts someone, which is why I need it.

_^*And what of your own dragon? Is he not capable of fury?*^_

_^There is a sad difference between capable and willing, which he is dedicated to showing me. I need someone who actually _misses her_.^_

Now I had really struck a nerve. _Good…rage gives direct access to power._ Nir stood up, stretched angrily (if there is such a thing), and bid me to hop on.

_^*Are you sure that you won't be affected by my sparks?*^_

_^I have an…idea. A theory that I need to test with you. Now's as good a time as any…^_

I extended my hand, and nodded towards it. Nir caught on, and sent a small blast straight at it. I caught and absorbed the energy, with not so much as a scratch, though I felt strangely energized. As the electricity flowed throughout me, _her_ sapphires on my chest glowed violently, along with the small sapphire I put into my gauntlet.

Nir was surprised when I was unscathed, and launched a much more significant blast at me. Same result, only this time I felt as if I had been given a blessing of strength.

_^*So, who dies first?*^_

_^I haven't decided. Let's go the Rome; I'll improvise.^_

Without another word, I slipped onto his back, and we took off for Rome without anyone's knowledge.

On the flight there, I found myself lost in thought, to the point where I fell asleep in the saddle. I wasn't aware of the shift between consciousness and unconsciousness until I realized I was standing in a blank clearing, all alone. I recognized what this was, and immediately became pissed off.

"Oh, hell no. No more mind games, _Thor_! I'm not fighting some future version of myself anymore! I'm through with your games! You chose me because I entertain the gods?! Well, I hope you guys like massacres…

Oh, who am I kidding, you _love_ them? Blood and glory, right?! Is that why you've been so cruel? To see a meek boy slaughter an empire!? Well, make no mistake, because that's what you're going to get!" I furiously shouted at the blank sky above me.

I waited for a reply, seething in silence. With every second, I grew a little more furious and my rage compounded. I had almost reached an unbearable, maddening anger when I felt a slight vibration from my chest. It felt just like the power that had entered my from Nir's lightning, but this time it accompanied an inexplicable soothing feeling. My anger slowly subsided from 'monumental' to 'quietly pissed,' which was quiet the reduction.

Before anything else happened, I suddenly awoke and found myself still on Nir's back. It was as if nothing had happened, like I hadn't even missed a second during my dream. I had a feeling that whole ordeal took less time than a blink of the eye; I also suspected that would be happening more often.

_^*Perfect timing for us. Apparently, this is the stormy season. It looks like Rome is about to be covering in thunder and lightning…shall we add our own?*^_

_^Add? I say we double it. Are we here already?^_

_^*Storm season. We rode a massive tailwind the whole way here…I've never seen a wind blow that strongly in one direction for so long…*^_

Almost as if the wind was supposed to carry us here. _Well, Thor must be impatient for a good show. I'd hate to disappoint_.

Surely enough, once we passed over the outer walls of Rome, the wind completely stopped, effectively parking a massive thunderstorm over Rome. I had lost track of time, but it must have been daytime because it was be absolutely pitch-black under the cloudcover if it was night. Then again, the lightning would make that obsolete.

We spotted the Roman palace, where our battle had taken place, and dove straight for it. Nir attracted every lightning bolt possible to him, so it looked as if a ball of lightning with numerous branching bolts was coming straight for the palace. No matter who you are, that's bound to intimidate.

There was a large crowd gathered underneath the patio-like area where our last battle too place. No one stood out in the torrential rain, meaning that everyone was huddled under the roof. From the looks of things, I had interrupted a council meeting of sorts; they were probably debating over who should next rule.

I was going to answer that question for them.

Before anyone could react, Nir electrocuted the nearest fifty guards as if it were nothing. Nir had an unlimited supply of lightning right now, and was eager to use all of it.

Those fifty guards slumped over, dead, and the crowd began to panic. However, with no room to move, they all watched in terror as I dismounted and slowly marched towards them. In my left hand, I held _her_ axe, with its sapphire glowing extremely violently. It looked like the gem would burst with the energy it held. I casually twirled the axe between my fingers, allowing the lazy twirl to display my nonchalance towards the fifty dead soldiers.

"Ah, don't you all know? You've trespassed on sacred ground!" I declared smugly, with my taunt reaching the ears of all around me despite not being spoken terribly loudly.

"This ground is only sacred underneath the feet of the Roman emperor!" A man yelled. It seemed like he was one of the best-dressed here; likely, he was vying for the empty seat on the throne. He seemed like a military man who was trying to ride patriotism and strength to the throne, much like Trajan. Standing up to me would have been a perfect springboard to the crown.

That is, if he had lived another second. I slung a half-shield of ice at the man, and Nir sniped my shield with a powerful blast of electricity, so that when it embedded into his heart, every muscle of his immediately went stiff. He rocked backwards with the force of the impact and loudly collided with the ground.

"There's one spot in particular that I'd like to show you. It is right…well, I can't really find it. _Too many people in the way_…" As soon as the words left my mouth, Nir and I went into a frenzy. Of the two hundred people still here, only half would be alive before I found what I was looking for.

It didn't take long, but there were screams as blood covered the ground.

"Don't worry; the rain will help wash the blood away. I do hope you have drains, though…

"Well, silly me, I forgot that it is right next to the throne. I feel a little sheepish for slaughtering the people over here, when the ones up _there_ are in my way…" I mocked. Before I finished going up the steps to the throne, the entire area had been cleared of people. There was a 15 foot radius around me at all points.

"Ah, a little respect. That would do you good in the future…

"There it is. Now, who among you is brave enough to call himself the Emperor?"

Everyone was still. Earlier, they had been so ready to take the throne, but now no one was willing to budge.

"No one? There isn't a man here who is brave enough to serve his empire?" I mocked again.

Slowly and solemnly, one man pushed his way to the front. He was another military man, but seemed a much wiser man than before. It appeared he was prepared to sacrifice himself to the others of the room would be spared my wrath. _As if it is that simple_.

"Oh, _your Majesty!_ May I tell you what is so important about this spot?"

The man looked stunned. It was clear I was mocking (and patronizing) him, but the fact that he was alive surprised him most.

I continued when he never replied.

"This spot, right _here…_" I brought _her_ axe down on the spot, creating a shockwave of electricity that dispersed until it killed a few random spectators. "…This is where my body died. Tragic, no?"

Everyone had flinched, and the man I dubbed Emperor looked terrified, but never backed down.

I shifted to a foot to the side of my 'spot.'

"But _this_ spot…this spot is truly a tragedy. Do you know what happened _here_?" I motioned to the new spot, where _Astrid_ had died.

"This spot…this is where my _soul_ died!" Now, I had the axe put up, and brought my fist down onto the ground. The marble floor cracked in several places, with all the cracks going to my sides for ten feet. It looked as if the cracks made an enormous spider web around me.

Suddenly, I was no longer in Rome. I rose from my strike against the ground, and was back in the grey plane of my dreams. At least, I assumed it was my dreams, but now I suspect that it may be my own mind. Bleak and empty; not telling anyone that part.

Typically, people imagine 'good' and 'bad' voices in their head. Some people think they have a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other. Standing in front of me were two being that were kind of like that, in a way. Except much more ambiguous.

In front of me stood two versions of myself: one wearing my mask and full body armor, with mean eyes exposed through slits; the other looked like a younger me, and wore my first riding gear. Two opposites, yet two major facets of myself personified. _Perfect timing, as always_.

"So let me guess. I'm here because of what I'm about to do, and you are here to argue both ways?" I asked.

"Argue? This should be a foregone conclusion; shower their empire with their blood, and spare no one who earns your wrath." My masked version answered. I imagined him to have some sort of demonic voice, or to sound like he was scheming something. Instead, he sounded just like I do currently.

"And you have the impossible job of talking me out of this?" I asked the other.

He thought for a moment, before answering me with a sad look plastered on his face.

"No. The last time we denied him, _she_ died. We can't take that again…we can barely take it now. Listen to Fin, and do whatever you must."

I was a little shocked at first, and it took me a second to realize what that meant.

_My good side agrees with my bad side. _First, the shocking nature of that revelation resounded through me.

_My good side agrees with my bad side._ The irony of the situation hit me, and also the realization that my conscience had approved my plan.

_My good side agrees with my bad side_. That time, it dawned on me that I was to hold nothing back. I felt empowered by the knowledge that my goal was a pure, unadulterated blood-lust.

_I wonder if this is how Vikings normally feel_.

The next instant, I was back in the real world, with my fist still resting on the ground where I had just cracked the marble. I slowly rose, then walked back to the new Emperor, not stopping until I was inches from his face.

"Now, my body seems to have recovered from death. Look me in the eyes, and tell me if my soul has done the same…" I commanded darkly. The Emperor tried (and failed) to swallow nervously, before finally choking out a response.

"N-n-no."

"Bingo." I threw my arm in the direction that the Emperor had originally come out of the crowd, and the first wave of people dove out of the way of the lightning that shot from my palm. Those behind them had no time to react.

The new Emperor screamed for the people to move, but nothing could be done before his wife and young son were struck.

Author's Note: Yea, I am definitely moving this to 'M' unless you guys want it to stay 'T.' So, now I get to write the stuff that makes me feel evil while I write it! So fun for me xD. But yea, this is the beginning of Hiccup's decent to madness, otherwise known as the Rise of Fin. There absolutely is a plan to bring Hiccup back, and I even have two distinct turning points in mind, but I personally really enjoy powerful stories with tortured psyches. I don't know why, but it is gripping for me to read and now I get to write a little bit.

And to make up for it, there is a planned 'happy ending' of sorts. If you haven't been able to tell, I'm not exactly the 'happy ending' kind of writer, but I can try it! :P

Reviews and stuff would be nice, I guess. At 250 reviews I will post and reply to my five favorite reviews so far in the Author's Note, so now's the time to get your opinion in. Till next time, guys…


	28. Dead' and My Favorite Reviews

Exodus and Return-us

Chapter 28

Author's Section: Well, I didn't think we would hit 250 then all of a sudden I got like a random 10 reviews overnight, so we made the 250 mark! My favorite reviews so far (and responses) are after the chapter. Literally, _half_ of this upload are those reviews and my responses. I'm not kidding.

Thuggory's POV

_*CURSE THESE WINDS!*_

_*^Toothless, that's why it's called a storm. There isn't much we can do about it!^*_

I thought I heard Toothless give another angry grunt, but it was drowned out by the thunder. We _tried_ to catch up to Hiccup, but this infernal storm system sprung up between us. Right now, Skullcrusher just barely still has a scent to follow, but it's becoming more and more apparent that Hiccup is going to Rome.

Because _that_ obviously ends well.

Everyone has been in a sour mood; rain, thunder, rouge Hiccup…there's just been a lot to get mad about recently. Added to all of that is a wave an anxiety stemming from a lack of direction: with our leader gone mad, _how _do we get him back? Is there any way to bring back the old Hiccup? If anyone has an idea, then it is the silent, brooding, angry black dragon who is flying head-long into a storm without reservation.

Oh, things just don't look good right now.

_*We're here. Cloud cover is breaking.*_ Toothless announced.

Surely enough, the storms were breaking ahead of us, and I could see some of Rome. Apparently, we were already overhead part of the city, so we broke off and dove for the Emperor's residence. Once we were above it, everyone circled around and nervously looked around for someone to go first.

_*^Gah, we really are directionless, aren't we?^* _I asked Skullcrusher privately.

_^*It appears that way. I guess that means it's our turn?*^_

I shrugged.

_*^Why not?^*_

Skullcrusher dropped out of the sky and went straight towards the opening in the middle of the courtyard. Everyone watched, but waited for a good time to follow.

We landed in the middle of the courtyard, and immediately noticed something had happened: the ground was wet and muddy, but the floor underneath the overhangs were also wet, despite being protected from the rain. There were many attendants mopping floors while wearing grim faces, and red stains plagued the areas they had yet to cover. Oh, and there were also large piles of dead bodies, with varying wounds ranging from cuts to electric burns.

To add to all of that, there are a lot more guards than last time. And not just normal guards, but there are heavily armored guards and what looks like specialized soldiers.

And they all turned towards me the moment I landed. Instantly, they all shifted to surround me, and in the shuffle I was able to identify their leader based on where they protected most heavily.

I dismounted, and started walking towards where the new leader is. Instantly, I was headed off by one of the heavily-armored soldiers who thought that our matching bulk would make for a fair fight. He brought his axe down where I was standing, and I rolled forward to dodge his blow. He hadn't expected my agility, and I sprung up with an uppercut to his armorer jaw. My Gronkle-Iron gauntlets made a resounding _crunch_ as he was knocked unconscious, and I resumed walking towards their leader.

The enemies held a firm line, but I stopped advancing when I heard a voice from behind their lines.

"What on earth could you people _possibly_ want NOW?!" The voice sounded exasperated, like its owner had been emotionally drained and lacked the energy to get truly angry.

"A second trip is hardly taxing…unless we were just here?" I speculated. I'll be honest, not my most articulate sentence ever.

_^*Was that supposed to make sense?*^_

"Oh, no we are sick of you dragon-riders and all the death you bring with you! Just leave us alone!"

The line opened and I saw the man who was yelling at me. There were blood stains on his armor, but none of them seemed to be his own. His eyes looked shrunk back like he either hadn't slept well or had seen too much heartbreak since his last night's sleep.

I had a hunch that Hiccup had already been here, so I slowly removed my helmet to make eye contact with the new ruler.

"Let me guess…another rider did all of this, didn't he? And he had a lightning dragon?"

"You're damn right he did! He murdered about half of Rome's elite in cold blood! He made me watch as he killed my family!"

I cringed at that news, and took extra time before addressing the ruler again.

"We're…_looking_…for that rider. In truth, we want to stop him from hurting anyone else…_including_ himself."

The man's face soured, and I imagine he isn't a fan of sparing Hiccup's life right now. I'd be surprised if we ever truly get that option.

"Well, if I get the chance I'm going to kill him. He flew off not an hour ago, but I've got men who said that he returned to the city on foot. I have men hunting him down, but he's blended in far better than a man in a mask should…"

"He's in the city? Why?" I asked.

"Hell if I know. If you're truly looking to take him out, then I won't stand in your way. I fear what he has planned anyways…" He trailed off, obviously waiting for me to take the hint.

I turned around and walked to Skullcrusher, and gave him a message for the others.

_*^Tell them that Hiccup's on foot in the city. Have the dragons keep the skies clear; don't let him take off of Nir. Send all of the riders on foot to track him down. I'm going to get a head start…^*_

Skullcrusher nodded, then took off to deliver the message. Two soldiers escorted me outside of the gates, until I was in Rome without any clue of what I was looking for.

Just perfect.

I aimlessly wondered around, lost in thought while absentmindedly _looking_ for Hiccup.

_Gah, there's no way I'm going to find him. I don't even speak Latin! My plan is to wonder around and hope I bump into him!? That won't ever work! He's way too cautious for that to even be a remote possibility! Plus, if he's in the city, he has to be searching for something specific, and—wait…was that him?_

I don't have a clue where I'm at, but I saw a man with a large hood walking ahead of me. At one point he turned to scan the area, and I caught of glimpse of Fin's mask.

_He knows I'm here. There's no way I just found him_.

He kept walking, seemingly unaware of the fact that I was following him from 30 feet out.

_No freaking way. Where's he going?_

He walked quickly, and stuck to the most congested areas of the walkway, but I never lost sight of him. He took a side-street, almost an alley of sorts, and suddenly the scenery is completely different. All of the decorations shifted from what I assumed to be traditional Roman to all sorts of different places. Some I recognized as places we had been through, and others were foreign.

Hiccup very quickly and very deliberately walked into one shop that seemed…more suspicious…than the others. It had a darker tone to it, and bordered on an apothecary shop. Actually, that's a great description: apothecary shop.

I didn't dare go in, but decided to wait for when Hiccup came back out. If I was lucky, I could get the drop on him. If push comes to shove, I will absolutely need every advantage.

POV BREAK (FIN'S POV)

It's a longshot. I'll admit that, and I'll admit that I'm putting too much hope into it. In essence, it is a crazy idea that has nothing even close to merit, yet I can't completely rule it out yet. Crazier things have happened so far.

It started with the lightning. That was, at first, just a nice addition, but I couldn't figure out where it came from. From what Nir suspects, I _claimed_ Astrid's powers as she died in my arms; Nir thinks that she somehow unlocked the ability to create and manipulate lightning on her own, and that her death passed that ability to me. I can't begin to imagine what it would have taken to unlock such an ability, but it leaves…strings. Strings that I can grasp at…and that's all I need.

These powers are so_ new_, so undefined, and so foreign, that nothing really seems impossible at this point. I returned from the dead. Astrid apparently created lightning. What else is just waiting to be _unlocked_?

There is one thing in particular that I want to explore. I think that it has a _chance_ of succeeding, and that prospect fuels my being. What Nir explained in no certain terms was that Astrid's power surged from within, like it had been dormant all along; all she did was tap into it. If I absorbed it all, then perhaps there is a chance that I absorbed _her_ too, and maybe I can restore her somehow.

It's that buzz that I feel when I absorb power. It almost has a mind of its own; occasionally it occurs and it's one of the most unique experiences I've ever felt, because it has the ability to resonate with me on a primal level. Once, the buzz brought an unprecedented soothing feelings that calmed me down, and other times it has only served to stir my excitement. But the buzzes are always few and far in between, unless I acquire more power. I think that the buzzes take a large amount of energy, and that the more energy I gain the quicker the buzzes can occur.

So now, all I need are 1) a massive amount of energy to awaken the source of the buzz, and 2) something to transfer the buzz to, once it has been powered. I have an idea for the first, and the apothecary was quite helpful in the research of 'soul stones.' Turns out, I already have what I need.

Now I just need some way for an insane amount of lightning to be shot at me. I also need to teach the world to _fear_ dragons and their riders once again.

I love to think that I can kill two birds with one stone.

Walking out of the apothecary shop, something felt off. I knew I was being looked for, and I even suspected that someone was following me, but my time inside the store hadn't been interrupted. Now, something was different, and I'm on edge.

I focused on my immediate surroundings, and the world seemed to slow down. My focus bounced around, until I heard a slight noise from above. I rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a tackle from Thuggory.

"GAH! I had you! How do you do that?!" He grunted.

"Oh, Thug, you don't even know what 'inconspicuous' means, do you?" I taunted.

"Fin—Hiccup—whoever you are, you need to stop! You have no idea what you're capable of, and you _will_ eventually snap out of this! When you do, you'll be horrified by all that you've done! You need to think about what you're doing!"

I clapped, and mocked a few 'bravos' to his speech.

"Great speech there! How long did it take you to write that one?! I'm-I'm all choked up now! Oh, I see the error of my ways, and repent wholeheartedly!"

Thug's expression turned even grimmer, and his stance became more rigid.

"This is _serious_, Hiccup!" Thug yelled. The way he said it—what, with his tone and his implications—heavily reminded me of my father…which is not something I like.

"Then _you_ should act like it! Astrid's _dead_! Gone! One flick of a wrist and her life is OVER! AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO REMEMBERS THAT!? Could you not _see_ her blood on the ground?! Did she just mean _nothing_ to you?!

"I FAILED! That's all I've ever done: FAIL! That is all that Hiccup is good for! A few nice inventions, some crazy ideas, and utter _failures!_ My best invention—my only good decision—my one _success_—was a way to circumvent 'Hiccup.' As Fin, I _don't_ fail. I'm not trodden upon, or beaten, or ignored, or forgotten, because FIN. DOESN'T. FAIL. Things were going great—the Order was on track, the Archipelago was on my side—until Hiccup took back over. Do you know _why_ Fin was overpowered? Because Astrid still existed, and Astrid is a larger part of Hiccup than anyone knew! So Hiccup takes back over, and what happens?!

"Hiccup gets Astrid killed. Oh, isn't _that_ just perfect! An irony for the ages! Well, I'm not going to let Hiccup's failures impede my progress anymore! _She's not gone—not completely…not yet._ I'll be damned if I see her come back only to revive _Captain Failure_ again! The world will fear the Order, and I will cleanse myself of _any_ further hindrances; it would not be wise to stand in my way…"

Thuggory was stunned, but still held firm. I could see that what I said had started a battle within him, and honestly I felt a little stirred up. The difference between us is I was inspired by my own speech, while he is deterred. The only way he would stand a chance against me is if those roles were reversed. Even then, I doubt it.

"That's worse than I fear. And here I thought you'd just go crazy and kill some people for revenge…"

"Oh, I did that already. In fact, that was my plan until about two minutes ago I gave this awesome speech that _totally_ gave me a better idea…"

"'Hiccup' isn't some sort of disease to be cleansed! You don't have to destroy yourself to become invulnerable! You have _forever_ to figure this out! Don't do something drastic before a month has even passed!" He begged, while also drawing his sword.

"Ah…preach peace and grab a sword. One of _my_ designs, I might add: the XL Slicer. Extra-long and extra heavy, intended for a powerful wielder. Best at keeping engagements far away, where it excels at overpowering opponents. Tell me, Thug, do you really think you can keep me at bay long enough for that to help you?"

"I guess we will find out…"

"Indeed."

I charged Thug without ever drawing a weapon. He gave a large slice that I ducked under, then brought his wrists back for a waist-level cut. I flipped over his attack and landed with a role between his legs, popping up behind him to whisper in his ear.

"Big sword means wide stance…that _really_ kills your agility!"

He swung around with his sword, but by the time he did I had ducked and gone behind him again. He looked around as if he couldn't fathom that I could role behind him twice in a row.

"Damn…he's faster than last time."

I picked up a rock from the ground and dropped it. I sprung forward into a role, and by the time the rock hit the ground and Thug turned to address the noise, I was nowhere to be seen again.

"Would you ever look _down?!_" I shouted as I popped up and stole his sword. I spun with his weapon, causing him to think I was going to stab it into his own stomach (which made him flinch), before I threw it into a nearby wall.

"Well, you're mega-sword is gone. What other weapons of mine are you going to use?"

Thug grunted unhappily (not liking being shown up or mocked), then brandished his Broadsword. For all intents and purposes, this was a plain sword except for its _superior_ craftsmanship and rugged, Gronkle-Iron durability.

"Ooo, is it sword-fight time?!" I asked while pulling out my bo-staff, separating it into two pieces, then shifting those into katanas. "Good thing I came prepared!"

The first resumed, and Thug tried to attack first. I say 'tried' because he really wasn't getting anywhere. I was getting fancy (and cocky) by incorporating showy moves and spins into my blocks that demonstrated how _easy_ the fight was for me. Thug turned up his intensity, and I just used the increased aggression against him. For about a minute, I strung him along and allowed him to attack however he liked, then I suddenly just stopped blocking his attacks and let his swing completely miss anything close to me. With Thug out of position (and out of breathe), I jabbed both swords simultaneously into his stomach. As soon as I broke through the armor, I stopped my attack and looked Thug dead in the eyes.

"Dead. Nice fight, you know…"

The shock in Thug's eyes died down as he realized that I was _again_ taunting him, and he tried to take the opportunity while I was distracted. He drew a dagger from his side and tried to stab me in the stomach, but I twisted and allowed the blade to miss me. I pinned Thug's arm between my arm and my chest, and quickly wrenched the dagger from his hand before spinning around (releasing his arm so it wouldn't dislocate) and sticking the blade in his back. Once again, I stopped before any damage was done—another hole in his armor.

"Dead. Again. Good try."

Thuggory stuck his foot out behind him and spun, knocking me on my back. On my way down, he drew a sword and held it to my neck so that when I stopped falling, _I _would be the one 'dead.'

"HA! I've got you now, you…" He trailed off once he saw that I was motioning towards his neck, where my sword was _already_ waiting with a very small cut already in place.

"Good idea, but still dead."

I kicked Thuggory off of me, and dusted my shoulders as I got back up. He charged me headfirst again, and I merely spun out of his way. During the spin, I put a scratch on the back of his armor with my wristblade.

"Dead."

He found his sword lying in the dirt and charged me again, this time swinging for my head in a blind rage. I leaned back about three inches and allowed the sword to miss my nose, before I slung a thin ice sheet at Thug's chest. The piece was so thin that it shattered into splinters on contact, but could have killed him if it were real.

"Sleeping with the fishes, yet again."

Dauntless, Thuggory hit a button on his sword and it shifted into a flat-headed battle axe. In return, I unsheathed a dagger. He charged me, and I bobbed and weaved underneath every blow until Thuggory suffered from fatigue. He continued to press the attack, so I tossed the dagger up in the air. Thuggory tracked the motion with his eyes, and I 'stabbed' him with both wristblades before rolling underneath Thug. I hit the back of his knees, forcing him down on his knees, then caught the dagger I had tossed and held it against his neck.

"Triple dead! That's a new one! Twice with the wrists and a third with the dagger. Now, do you mind telling me _why_ you're trying to stall me?"

Thug was on his knees, panting. Big guys just weren't meant to fight so _quickly_, and his stamina was clearly taxed.

"You knew?"

"What, that you were trying to stall? It was obvious the moment you attacked me! I just want to see what you think will stop me…"

As if on cue, the other Council Members began to arrive. The area had long-since cleared of spectators, so the dragons decided to stand atop the buildings around me to make me feel even more boxed in.

"Oh, isn't that cute!? You all think that you can stop me! It wouldn't be nearly as funny if any of you actually believed that, though! You all look scared stiff! Even the dragons don't look confident, and their freaking _dragons!_"

*_ENOUGH!*_ Toothless yelled as he streaked to the ground in front of Fin.

"Oh, look at that! Your tail is healed! Good for you, now you can stand aside and do nothing _without_ an excuse! At least I have the gall to _admit _my intentions! What have _you_ done recently, Toothless?"

I didn't _really_ feel like mocking everyone, especially Toothless, but I wanted them a little bit more riled up. If this Council is ever going to do anything, they need to learn to do so without Toothless or I. Which means I get to neutralize us both.

_*STOP IT, HICCUP! You're surrounded! There's nothing left to do, nowhere to go! Nothing you do will erase the past!*_

I looked around, slowly, surveying my surroundings. Everyone was on edge, with their hands on their weapons (if they weren't already drawn). To diffuse the situation, I slowly retracted my weapons and returned them to their proper holsters. Everyone visibly relaxed, until I pulled a new device from my belt. The crowd flinched until they realized what I pulled out of my 'bag of tricks.'

"A hook? What are you gonna do, _pirate_ us to death?" Came somewhere in the crowd. A few nervous laughs followed, but I didn't deem the comment worthy of a reply.

I held the hook above my head with both hands, and braced for what happens next. To everyone's surprise, Nir burst from behind the cloud cover and streaked towards our location, sending lightning every-which-way. A large amount of it hit Toothless, with the surge stunning him and knocking him unconscious.

_^Good, he won't be able to follow. Let's get out of here.^_

While everyone had flinched at the lightning attack, Nir swooped down right above my head. In his paws he had grasped an iron rod, and my hook caught the rod and took me with him, allowing for a full-speed start.

_^*You think they'll try to follow?*^_

_^It won't matter. They'll never stop us now…^_

_^*So where to now?*^_

_^Well, we need extensive lightning, so we want a fight with Thor. To do that, we need to get on his radar: let's go destroy some temples and slaughter some followers. It's time to piss off a god…^_

POV BREAK

Review Replies:

NightsAnger—"4 hours ago I posted my review to the last chapter. And now there is already another chapter? Its Christmas in November!

Now on your basing of Toothless Hobbes. I think it is amazing idea. However don't try and make Hiccup Calvin. It just wouldn't work. I always thought of Hobbes as Calvin's conscience. The friend that was there and when everyone else had given up on Calvin. He was Calvin's bastion of sanity. Making Toothless Hiccup's guide I think will work really well for this story.

Keep up the good work and please, more ASAP!"

Response: So this review was early (3rd chapter) and I had just posted two chapters in one day. I had written half the night before, finished it, and put it online. Later, I was bored and wrote a second chapter for that day. 2-in-1 is NEVER gonna happen again :D.

But yea this was an early one, back right after I had decided how to mold Toothless' talking personality. I like to think that this has worked well for the story (the scene with Cami, teasing, and embarrassment comes to mind) but has tapered off as the themes have gotten heavier. This review makes the top five because its nostalgic and because NightsAnger is one of my favorite reviewers. At first, I got this message from him concerned that I may or may not have had the same story idea that he did. Instead of doing the normal (internet troll) thing, we talked it out and found out that we would be fine with our stories. Since then, I don't think he sleeps until he gets an update because he always seems to leave really fast reviews. I highly recommend you go to his account and read his stuff, btw! I follow his stories and get alerts when he posts!

Eragon Skullblakahjarta—"Wonderful story! Definitly one of the best that I have found so far where the dragons can speak with Hiccup.  
>I would say either 4 or 5, and if you don't mind I have a few suggestions that I think might be interesting. I'm not saying to use all of them, just a few, if you even like them. They are as follows;<br>Over time, Hiccup's and Toothless' bond grows to the point where they are soul-bonded. Obviously no Toothcup, but more like brothers. Maybe to add to that, Hiccup somehow finds an old ritual where they can become blood-brothers? So Hiccup gains a dragon form, and Toothless a human one? That would be amusing.

Again, with the bonds. Hiccup gains control over magic due to Toothless being bond to the land through magic, though it concentrates on the elements of Fire, Lightning, and Shadow(never Death. Death is for necromancers, and I cannot see Hiccup as a necromancer) with minor abilities in other fields.

Hiccup becomes the dragon's Alpha, along with Toothless. As his 'Flock' grows, they eventualy decide to make him Alpha(possibly after a large battle where he loses his leg[Red Death battle] in order to defend his Flock) and give him small enhancements; one or two from each species.

That's all of the ideas I have. I hope that helps, and good luck with the story!"

Response: This review was the epitome of the reviews I asked for early on in the process. I wanted everyone's feedback on how they thought the story was progressing, any ideas this had sparked, how the character development felt, and whether or not Hiccup should gain powers (1-5 system). Looking back, everyone seemed to vote for powers (and those made it into the story). I picked this review because it was like a model for helpful reviews. He gave his ideas, concerns, comments, encouraged me, and did it all with a smile (or just naturally sounds happy). Reviews like this have been significant helps for story development, so keep them coming!

[Side Note: I am rereading _every_ review, and I just keep noticing how many reviews NightsAnger has left and _dang son_. And its not 'I liked this, good job' it usually is about 2-3 sentences. Seriously, guys, go show this person some love! Oh, he also calls me out on spelling checks A LOT! It would almost be easier to make him a beta. xD ]

The Fangirl of Awesome Stuff—"Before I go into a major fa girl rant abundance of squeals, want to be serious for a second. This story is really great and you are an awesome writer. You spelling is good, you characters are entertaining and actually funny, and the fact that they are a little OOC just adds to your story. In my opinion, this story is right up there with Hitchups.

Now watch out, this the fangirl inside coming through. Oh my god this story was amazing and awesome and all the other synonyms for that word! Hiccup and Toothless' conversation and bickering his just hilarious and I love it! Especially the part with Cami's boobs!;) And I just love everything about this I eagerly await your next chapter so update as soon as you can! Toodles!"

Response: Okay, so I'll be honest: even rereading this, I read it in a high-pitched, barely contained fangirl voice, and it just makes this review even funnier! First of all, I am _highly_ honored to have been fangirled by "The Fangirl of Awesome Stuff." And on top of that, she mentioned my story and Hitchups in the same post, so _that's_ pretty cool! I'm not exactly at the 300k word mark, but I'll take a compliment when I see one. This is one of those reviews that as a writer I just go "okay, I spend all this time writing fun stuff and the funniest thing I've seen all day was this review?!" This review still brings a smile to my face, and just imagining the reviewer as a bubbly, bursting fangirl just makes it that much better. Also, username of the year, anyone?

[Side Note: fawkes711 was the first person to find one of the hidden song quotes from the early chapters. In chapter 3 I integrated two songs' lyrics, 'Second Chance' by Shinedown and 'My Home' by Thousand Foot Krutch into the goodbye letters.]

[Side Note: Two really short but awesome reviews (honorable mentions):

xX69759Xx—"And Im on fire! 42k words in 4 hours of reading! And I like it keep it up"

NightsAnger—"Bitch-ass eel is most assuredly the funniest dragon insult I think I have ever heard"}

Sommermadchen—"Hey, I really love your story. But one question. Wasn't Hiccups mother showing on the end of chapter 13? Now in chapter 14 its like a little timeskip…"

Response: Yes she was. I COMPLETELY forgot that I ended that chapter like that, and I wrote chapter 14 like nothing had happened. Fortunately, I was able to fix it like it was a timeskip and not many people noticed, but I was called out by my reviewers for lazy writing! It was an important lesson (I made the same mistake later, so I never learned my lesson :O )

WarriorCATS fan—"I have to say this is my favorite httyd story out there. Previously it was hitchups but I swear if you keep going and work hard I think you can topple the number one position that story has in the fandom. I am watching happily"

Response: Yup, this is the type of review that make you go "you know what, for a story I started writing because I was tired of reading the same story over and over, this could actually go somewhere." If I had to set a goal, then Hitchups would be the goal: I think it's the golden standard for FanFiction in length, content, originality, and how true to the characters it stayed. I'm sure there _are_ things wrong with Hitchups, but I've read it twice and haven't noticed them.

[Side Note: I'm reading reviews where someone was like "oh, _no,_ Hiccup is gonna go insane from the stress" and I'm sitting here thinking "wow, what they would say after this chatper…"]

Mar-san—"wow this chapter is one of the most exciting, that I've ever read, thank, for such a good moment to read "

Response: Yea, this was the chapter where Hiccup faced Dagur's armies and kicked their asses. It was also the chapter where Stormfly died (and I experimented with character-deaths :O ). This seems like a simple comment, but I've read a lot of _really_ good chapters in FanFictions from all genres and fandoms. A decent story always has at least one good chapter, so saying that one of my chapters is one of your favorites is pretty significant. Hey, I'll take it!

[Side Note: I am having too much fun trying to imagine my reviewers as they leave their reviews. I'm sitting here on my tablet chuckling to myself because some people just leave really funny, short reviews with no context.

Example: One Bright Light—"OH.

SNAP.

DAMMIT I WANT MORE. XD"

Example 2: Angryhenry—"Lol, this is how we do bitches" ]

Skeek622—"You killed it! And you nearly killed me, I was laughing so hard I nearly needed CPR."

Response: So this was the chapter where Hiccup had a staring contest with Stoic, then had his bubble popped when the Skrill chose Astrid out of the blue. Occasionally, I'll get an idea and just go "oh, snap, I don't know if I could handle it if it did that…LET'S DO IT!" That scene was one of those moments, and from the reviews, you guys loved that one!

Checkingdude—""Miniture cannon based of compressed air", "fires small darts", okay, okay, really? You mean like the one in The Fury in the Night? Wow. Wow. That is the second time someone has ripped me off in the last year. Just wooooow XD"

Response: I messaged this guy and cleared the air. Basically I just incorporated a glorified dart-gun, and it was really similar to something he wrote about. We talked and cleared it up, but I'll just go on record and say that I did _not_ steal that idea from him…

I stole it from an Assassin's Creed game I was playing at the time (Rogue)… xD

These next two reviews I almost cried I laughed so hard reading these just now. Still on the same chapter with the Skrill scene. They don't need any comments from me because these are just gold. xD

RubixSoul—"Fking Skrill I love that mofoe like oh GODS  
>XD<br>I like how Hiccup just fking ragequits and the Skrill is the lil kid you CANNOT deny  
>I want her.<p>

No.

No. I will have her. ."

Dragoncreators—"I completely knew that was going to happen, ever since the Skrill said it would look for a rider XD. Poor Hiccup!

And now Berk is even more scared and angry, as he apparently talking to 'mindless beasts' and stole the chief's apprentice - taking 'both' heirs. XD

Doomed XD

That argument at the end though... The look that must be on their faces... I can't breathe.

That was a secret wish of mine when I read the stories where Hiccup and Toothless can talk - Hiccup suddenly spinning around and having a huge loud argument with Toothless in broad daylight with a bunch of onlookers. Thanks for fulfilling that dream :D

Much love Aurora"

[Shoutout to xX69759Xx for this review: "Ok, I'm going to impersonate cinema sins; "…my exodus has been set in motion' annnnnnd role credits…Oh wait"

I won't lie I thought the exact same thing when I wrote that line xD]

PantheraTigr—"Before I start, I want to say that that I hate writing reviews for unfinished stories. But sometimes ... the story comes alive and makes me do it ... so here I come.

* the bad things - I have only technical problems with this story. While well written, in the earlier chapters it suffers from something that I would call the "auto-correct disease" (named so, because I cant point those mistakes to anything else). It means that there are certain words that should not be there, or rather, they mean something else while being phonetically interchangeable - like hear - here. Two different words, same reading. It is extremely distracting because it breaks the flow of the reading of the story. And that is my only technical (problems that matters) problem with this story.

* the good things - Almost everything else. From premise, though setting to the pay-offs. I can see that this is an amalgamation of almost every "Huccup runs away" story on this site (cuz I read them all ... at least those with 40k words). And it shows. So many possible problems are just not there because of this. It is really enjoyable.

* my personal points - I have cringed when Toothless bit into Hiccups leg at the end of the Red Death battle: "Everything was so original and now it is ruined with this copy-pasted bull*ßł". I think this moment was worst in the story (for me). But then the next chapter came and everything was well again. I hate this emotional roller-coaster :D.  
>Other point that grinds my gears is that even though he has powers, we don't know what exactly they are. He never experiment with them and so you have that cheap deus ex machina at your disposal. I don't like this aspect. Dont take wrong, I don't care for immortality and powers ... but they need to be somewhat cleanly defined so that "because magic" moments cant happen.<p>

I hope that this came out coherent enough ...

tl;dr Awesome story. Love the premise and the execution. Apart from some technical derpiculties, wery well written. I cant wait for the ending (cuz I probably wont have time to read this story as it comes out, so I read it all at once when it is complete)."

Response: Okay, this was more of a thesis than a review, and that's awesome. There's a decent chance that this reviewer hasn't finished the story, so it may be a complete surprise when they find this. They also may not like the changes by the time they get here, but meh.

Bonus points to those who finds this line. Comment "Pineapple" in the reviews for me ! ;P

But this was one of the most thoughtful reviews to date because, well, it looks like a lot of thought went into this review. I'm a lot like this person in that I usually don't review often and I like complete, long stories (I've read all the similar stories over 40k also). So having my twin like the story is always a good thing!

[Side Note: A lot of people got the idea that I was ending the story? I may have phrased it badly, but I meant that in between the first arc and the second I would take a small break. Soryr bout any confusion.]

Demon654—"hey cool story you have here errrr no wait I AM KIDDING it's not a cool story to tell you the truth it's faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar away from it being a "cool" story actually ITS AWESOME!ITS FANTASTIC ITS F****** GRANDIOSE it's hot sauce on toast kind of story the kind who make you want to kill some characters and kiss until death other characters soooo please update soon and could you just not make it another hicstrid story please? I mean frankly after all that happend I feel like even thought Astrid feel guilty she doesn't deserve hiccup AT ALL soooo well just saying...sorry if I am being a bother but I look forward to read more about your story"  
>Response: This review was wild from start to finish. xD I love getting reviews like this.<p>

Heck, I love getting reviews. It's an addiction that I was _not_ warned bout when I started this story.

NightsAnger—"As I have said previously, there are a few similarites in our writing styles, nothing big but enough that there had been a sneaky suspcion of mine that you were going to kill of a major character soon. Three chapters ago I would have said Thuggory, but with Hiccup and Astrid making up I quickly realized it was to be Astrid that died.

Killing a major character is always a gamble. Some repect you for it, others curse your name to Helhiem. How many choose which option depends on your next chapter. How Hiccup recovers from this will be a big point in your story.

I suspect/hope you have Hiccup turn to Toothless to put him back together. In the latest chapters you have been missing the magic and love between those too. Something that in my opinion really set your story apart from the others.

With whatever you decide, good luck. I eagerly await the next chapter."

Response: Okay, so I'm responding to one of Nights' reviews again, but this one is important. Blah blah he saw it coming, yea sure buddy. :P

But then he mentioned wanting to see Toothless get Hiccup through Astrid's death and I'll be honest, this review gave me the idea for how everything is going to crash back together. Except, kinda the opposite of how he wants it for a while :O I can't really say much more without spoiling it, but let's just say that it won't be easy to overcome this.

Dark Ghost coc—"Quiting this ur stories too"

Response: This was the chapter I killed Astrid, so…yea, I expected this somewhat. _Bye, Felecia!_

The Night's Wrath—Okay I hated you for Astrid but this? Oh man, I can't wait for more. Just torture me all you want but keep writing this type of stuff. "

Response: This was the first review for the chapter after Astrid died, also known as when Fin takes over. It seems that Astrid's death was mourned until you saw Fin and you guys were like "I hate you…what's this? A new chapter? Sounds great!" xD I'm playing with fire writing these chapters now.

[Okay, so a Guest known as 'Cloaked Glydr" just recently started reading, so he left reviews as he finished chapters, so about 7 reviews in a row are his. They're hysterical and sum up how this FanFiction has gone so far, so go to the reviews and read them! Keep them coming guys!]


	29. Puny God

Exodus and Return-us

Chapter 29

Valka's POV

There is still so much about this situation that I don't understand, and I doubt I ever will. Even Thuggory seems to have a better grasp on Hiccup's past than I do.

Here's what I have so far, though: It is apparent to me that Hiccup took after me, and that he was ridiculed when growing up for being 'unvikingly.' That's not surprising, except for the extent of that ridicule; I suspect that Stoic was not the greatest parent, and with my absence Hiccup may have felt that he was missing something. So Toothless enters his life, and suddenly Hiccup realizes how bad Berk was. After an incident where Astrid incurred Hiccup's hatred, the boy left to start anew. During that time, he :befriended the Bloody Knuckles and Bog Burglar tribes. Eventually, the Archipelago split between dragons and no dragons, and Hiccup squashed the Berserkers and Hairy Hooligans. Somewhere in there, Hiccup kills the Red Death and learns about 'claiming' powers through the Skrill's knowledge. He then happens to show up right as the last Bewilderbeasts kill each other, and claims them as well.

That's when I met him first, and it was the most hostile I've ever been to a family member since Stoic's mother dared to call me skinny to my face. Fortunately, _this_ time I did not stab anyone.

Then Hiccup goes to confront what's left of Berk, and his struggle starts. And this is also where I am extremely confused. The Skrill picked Astrid, who Hiccup still hated. Hiccup was forced to swallow his pride and allow her into the Order; all the while, Astrid's guilt has corrupted her to the point where she is desperate to make it up to Hiccup any way possible.

Now, I would think that this would create a bad atmosphere, but I never saw a time where Hiccup and Astrid didn't work well together. Astrid must have been conflicted at the meeting condemning Berk, but held her tongue out of duty to Hiccup. From there, Hiccup realized her loyalty, because he even brought her with him and myself to talk to Stoic before leaving for Rome.

And after that, they started dating. That's the only explanation, though I haven't been told what changed or if they even knew what was happening; Hiccup apparently just couldn't fight it anymore and then they were close, all the way up to her death. The poor girl…she finally had gotten Hiccup to forgive her, and they really had something special (she could even quell those terrifying nightmares!). And then she goes and pays the ultimate price of loyalty—death. Such a sad tale, and I wasn't even directly involved. I guess I just can't understand what Hiccup has gone through, seeing as I've never actually _lost_ my lover; I was only separated.

But I still can't imagine that that's all it would take to turn my Hiccup into _this_; we've been tracking his flight—almost perfectly northward—for a few days, until we returned to a land that praises Odin. I wasn't aware of such wise people existing outside of the Archipelago, but here we are on the mainland with a little bit of ice and temples to Thor.

But looking inside the temple we arrived at and staring at all the worshippers who had been slaughtered, there is only one thought on my mind: _There is no way that the person who did this is still Hiccup._

I finally believe what Thuggory has been saying; I didn't completely buy into the whole 'Fin' theory back in Rome, when it was evil foreigners worshipping something pagan, but when he starts killing people who are practically Vikings during the middle of a ceremony to Thor?

I guess everyone just needs to be convinced, and that is what it took for me.

"Loki's butthole…_how_ could he do this?" Thuggory swore carefully, making sure not to say something Thor would disapprove of in his own temple.

_*Why this temple? Why fly this far to slaughter everyone in a big temple? There have been bigger temples…*_ Toothless asked.

"Because it's a temple of _Thor_. Hicc—_Fin—_is no stranger to Thor. It makes sense to pass the other temples; this is the largest temple to Thor I've ever heard of."

Something was still bothering me. Ever since Thuggory told us about _Fin's_ trip to the only place in Rome with information on Viking traditions, I've felt like there is something he is going for. An angle, or maybe an end-game. Something big (like this temple).

"Something feels off. If this is a temple to Thor, why haven't we found the treasure room yet? Surely all the best gifts would have been collected and stored in a special altar…"

One of the Boneknapper riders—what's his name?...Gah, I don't know—seemed to perk up as he apparently got an idea. He walked over to the highest priest's body and grabbed his staff, then walked to the center of the floor. We were in the main, central room of a square building, and because it was a temple to Thor there was a central lightning rod in the dead center that went through the ceiling. The rider took the staff—just a gold rod, really—and stabbed it through the lightning rod via a hidden slot. When complete, the rod went halfway through, and created a crank that the rider then pulled on, twisting the lightning rod. Suddenly, the floor around the lightning rod fell down and formed into a spiral staircase that lead to—literally—Thor knows where.

"A secret passage in a temple to the Gods? Is anyone else _completely freaked out_ by this?" Thuggory asked, sounding like he was both elated and terrified of the new development.

"Ah, quit your whining. It would bet my staff that Fin has already been down there…" I replied.

The opening wasn't big enough for the dragons to enter, so the riders got to walk down the dark spiral staircase alone. We all had two torches each, because everyone knows that the more torches the better. Actually, Thuggory refused to go down there until he was _assured_ that there was no way something would jump out of the dark at him.

After a few minutes of climbing down the old stone stairwell, we reached an unlocked door with no other way to go. We opened it slowly, and were completely surprised to find a well lit room _covered_ in golden accessories. It wasn't a treasure hoard, where the gold is piled, but rather an organized, dusted, well-kept room adorned with treasure. The room was wide and spacious, with the ceiling so high it couldn't been seen. It probably went up to the ground of the temple. The room itself was so long and wide that the side walls could barely been seen, and every inch of it was neatly adorned with treasure.

Our group was stunned; no, scratch that, we were downright amazed. We wondered towards where we imaged the center of the room was, until we reached a set of stairs in what we assumed was the middle of the room. The stairs only created a square platform from which a better view of the room could be had. At the top of the platform was the most shocking thing of all: _Fin_ and the Skrill, facing away from us.

"It's quite magnificent, isn't it?" He asked without ever turning to us. "I bet you are wondering where we are. Welcome to Thor's throne room!" He said, turning around and mocking us.

"_Thor's _what?" Thuggory asked incredulously.

"Well, once upon a time, on a whim Thor decided that he wanted to be king of earth. He was in his youth, and spent years amassing enough treasure to create a throne room worthy of a king of Asgardian heritage. However, Odin was able to talk him out of his ways, and he left this place as a temple to himself. You should have _seen_ the massive staff that worked here!"

With that last part, he turned back to face the far side that we hadn't seen yet, almost asking us to come see it. Thuggory and myself slowly moved forward, keeping a wide base of Fin on both sides, before setting our eyes on what lay before us. There were hundreds of broken shells that were so large, they _couldn't_ have been anything natural. Filling every egg to its brim were the dead bodies of what had been _thousands_ of people, all dressed in what was once extremely valuable, gold-adorned robes.

"WHAT IN HEL'S NAME DID YOU _DO_?!" Thuggory exclaimed.

"Oh, the eggs aren't mine. They were already here, as a memento from a time even before Thor was born. Only Odin has memories of the Age of Alphas. These are just all the shells, collected in one place."

An awkward, pregnant pause followed Fin's explanation.

"_OOH_. You want to know about the thousands of Thor's followers that I killed to piss Thor off? Yea, sorry, can't really tell you much about that…" he commented with a chuckle.

I swear, I could feel him snickering through the mask. This is _definitely_ not my son.

The others began to walk forward, and saw the same thing Thug and I did; I never took my eyes off of the piles, but I heard multiple gasps from beside me that told me as much.

"This place has so many treasures, _I_ haven't even explored them all. Maybe if I survive, I'll come back here. There's just too much in flux…" As he cryptically said this, he looked down at a gem in his hand. It was purple, not unlike Astrid's gems, but glowed constantly and was smoother than Astrid's. It was also smaller than her gems.

"I suppose that you all…the Order—_My_ Order—deserve an explanation. It's not like you can stop me anyways. Astrid…survived. Kinda."

All eyes were on him now, and most of us looked confused.

"Hiccup, you're in denial." I asserted.

"NO, I'm not. I haven't denied a thing. I haven't denied that my revenge was fruitless, and I haven't denied that murdering those people didn't bring her back. But, murdering _these_ people actually have brought me closer to that!"

"Hiccup, she's gone. _Dead_. I suspect she's feasting in Valhalla! We should be celebrating that, not slaughtering Thor's Chosen over imaginary solutions!" Thug roared, praying he broke through to the boy we all hoped was still there.

"DOES THIS _LOOK_ IMAGINARY TO YOU!?" He screamed while holding out the glowing gem. "THIS IS WHY I'M HERE! THIS IS _PROOF_ THAT IT CAN BE DONE. THAT IT _HAS_ BEEN DONE BY OTHERS, AND THAT I AM GOING TO BE THE NEXT TO PERFORM IT!"

No one replied. No one moved. We all just _looked_ at him. Eventually, he couldn't stand the silence and ripped off his mask.

His face showed a thousand pains all wrapped up in complete frustration and anger. It looked like he had been trying his hardest to withstand torment of the worst kind for years.

Now, I was even more worried than before. There almost seemed to be flashes in his eyes, like someone who was distantly fighting a battle of wills against themselves. His outburst was uncalled for, and just demonstrated how unstable he is right now. I suspect that something else—something _more_—has been messing with him. For all I know, it could be one of Loki's tricks.

"This is one of _her_ gems. It isn't normal anymore, though. It's been said that only Thor's lightning can change a gem into a _Soulstone_, but yet somehow Astrid used a power that did just that. This is the gem that I hid inside off her armor when I had the metal melted; she didn't know about it…it was just supposed to be a joke with myself at the time. I thought it funny that I was giving her a heart of gem to balance out her stony heart at the time. Now, the gem that protected her heart will save her soul."

He looked slightly pained as he recalled his reason for hiding a gem inside of Astrid's armor, and I could tell that it wasn't a pleasant memory to revisit. However, it did seem to somewhat quell his anger for the time being.

The term 'Soulstone' sounded familiar, but only vaguely. Stoic likely would have known more; as a chief, he was given knowledge that no one else in the tribe save for Goethi would know.

Thuggory's eyes widened, and he apparently realized Fin's plan. _Oh, yeah, Thuggory was a chief._

"But…no, that's not possible. There's no way that you can pull that off!"

"Normally, with her dead, it wouldn't work. But she died in my arms, Thug. Nir believes that I claimed her power (which I can use to summon lightning), and I'm going to use the stone to isolate her. I can _do_ it, Thug. It can work, I just know it!"

"And what could go wrong? You could _kill_ yourself! Don't you know the tales? You can vaporize your _soul_ if this goes wrong! No eternal existence in Valhalla or indefinite life on earth, just _nothing_! You could cease to be! Don't you care about your life?!"

"How do I live without the one I love, Thug? If there's nothing worth living for, why torture myself by existing forever?"

Thuggory didn't reply. He couldn't. _I _could, though.

"The one you _love_? How many nights did you spend together, a few? You never had a date, nor got married! You're throwing your existence away for your crush!? How selfish can you be, when you have a long life with a brother ahead of you? **What will this do to Toothless**?"

Fin refused to respond to that point, and mounted the Skrill angrily.

"Ah, I was afraid that we wouldn't reach an agreement. Oh well…if you'll excuse me, Nir and I are headed out the secret entrance. We've got to go find the best place to get blasted with Thor's lightning…"

He took off before we could say anything to stop him, and once he was gone we all raced back up the stairwell and mounted our dragons to give chase. If he was going to destroy himself, then it would have to be over our dead bodies.

POV BREAK

I was waiting at the location. It was a straightforward meeting. During the most recent dream, the location was set. I knew that he was going to be here. I was ready to meet him in person, _finally_. This has been too long coming.

The location was brilliant to say the least. Slightly north of the hemisphere, it would provide a perfect weather range for the Order to call home. That was the whole purpose of the meeting: discussing the progress of the Order, and ordaining the new Order headquarters.

I have no doubts that I can quell my guest's anger, especially when he sees what all I've put together for this place. It's absolutely incredible by my _own_ standards, and puts his other nests to shame. The blacksmith's stall alone should have him weeping tears of joy.

Ah, here he is now. Seeing as there is one chair for every possible Council Member, I hid behind one to make a dramatic entrance. I knew he's fond of those.

"I know they aren't far behind. Buy me as much time as you can. We're so close…we can't afford to stop pressing now." Fin told his dragon.

As Fin walked towards the middle of the room, I slowly walked out from behind the chair, without saying a word.

Fin didn't stop; his step didn't falter, and he walked towards me at a high pace.

"_You_…" he spoke, obviously trying to find a word to say. Hey, it isn't every day you get to meet _me_.

"Ah, Fin, I've been waiting. I'm glad we _finally_ get to mee-" my speech was cut off because as soon as he walked close enough to me, he punched me as hard as he could. I stumbled a few feet back before testing my nose to find blood running down it. _Impressive; he can make _me_ bleed, though annoying that he tried…_

"So, _THOR_, did you think I was going to come in here and fall on my face?!"

"Well, I had figured that our familiarity would have created some sort of bond. It isn't every hero of mine that I invest so much time to develop, you know…" I replied calmly.

"'Develop,' huh? Is THAT what you call it!? Was playing games with my mind part of your plan?!"

"It was absolutely part of the plan! Look how far you've come, Fin! Haha…You're no longer weak or pathetic; people _fear_ you, just like a Hero of Thor _should_ be feared! And what you've had to overcome on the way to success just makes you more powerful for it. It's the weakest people who are chosen to wield the greatest powers…"

He wasn't wearing his usual mask; a pity, seeing as it was growing on me. That being said, the emotions on his face were so jumbled I couldn't read them.

"Powers? This has all been about _powers_? How much of my life was planned by you?!"

"Only the important parts! A gust of wind that slowed down Drago Bloodvist, creating your encounter; a desire in Nir to bond with Astrid; obviously, the journey south; four well-trained body guards that ensured your fight with Trajan went down…_memorably_…" I started listing off the things I had a hand in, thinking he would marvel how 'the Gods always have a plan.'

"…what?" he asked, low and ominously, as if he didn't even mean to say it.

"…and that buzz that has allowed you to overcome your inner weakness most recently…"

The blood from his face drained at my last comment. I was starting to wonder if he really was going to stay angry; I was really going to be pissed if this whole 'manipulation' stuff didn't work for me, because I've got a big wager with Loki riding on it.

"Buzz? Nonono, that's—that's the remnants of Astrid! That's why I'm here, you SAID SO YOURSELF IN THE DREAM LAST NIGHT!"

Oh dear, he really didn't figure it out? Well, maybe this is the _dramatic reveal_ part that he loves so much. Worth a try.

"No, that's what you wanted to hear. The buzz was just supposed to stir your mind and allow you to overcome Hiccup; you've always had potential, Fin, and I merely helped you achieve it. _You_ rallied behind the idea that Astrid was within that buzz, and look how much you accomplished!"

His legs looked like they were failing to support him, and he reached out for the armrest of the chair nearest him.

"No…no, she can't be gone. Not when I can still feel her." He began mumbling, obviously in denial. What is it about that girl that captivated _both_ Hiccup and Fin?!

"No, she's gone. She was necessary for your transformation; I hope you see that now. You proved that you are just as dangerous as Toothless, and I for one can't wait to see what you two can do together!"

He turned to me, and the look in his eyes chilled me. There was a hatred there that I had never seen before, worse than the bloodlust of any man or beast I had ever encountered.

"No, she's still alive! She is a part of me, and YOU are going to help me separate her into the Soulstone!"

My eyes widen in surprise, and I absently clutched Mjolnir tighter in my hand. _That's why I was unable to observe him that day; he was hidden in my own temple…_

"A Soulstone?! Fin, put that down! You don't know what would happen if that thing is activated!"

Though his face still screamed 'I hate you,' he grinned devilishly at me.

"Yes, I do know. And all I need is for you to strike me with your lightning! Doing so will activate the stone, and Astrid will finally be recovered, if only in mind!"

"Fin, this is madness. I would expect a better plan from you of all people; there is no way that I'm going to shoot you with lightning!"

His grin only widened.

"You will activate the stone…" he clasped the stone into the chest plate of his armor, and drew his sword. "…or one of us _will_ die, and at this point I really don't give a damn who it is!"

He charged me with his sword, and I was completely unprepared for him to try to _fight_ me. I kinda just threw Mjolnir up in surprise, and managed to block his attack.

He was undeterred, and kept swinging his sword at a speed that I struggled to keep up with. _Damn it all, why did I have to make him so fast! _ At one point, I went for a counter-strike by swinging my hammer. I missed because he flipped over it and landed on my back, then jumped off again. This pushed me down, and I spun around to see him charge me again. My battle instincts were ready this time, and I threw Mjolnir at him, throwing off his attack as he dodged. He thought he had an opening to attack while I was defenseless, but on Mjolnir's return trip it shattered Fin's sword mid-swing.

"A good try, but there aren't many who truly stand a chance in a fight with _me_, Fin. Especially not my _own_ hero's…"

"Well, how many of them are crazy enough to try it?"

He drew another weapon—bo staff, this time—and twisted the middle until one end turned into a long blade. I recognized the weapon as a Nguyen, and realized that he was going to use the length of Mjolnir against me. So I charged him in an attempt to keep the battle close-quartered.

My mistake; this must have been his plan. I thought he would be so blinded by his rage against me that he would enjoy pressing the fight, but he used my own charge against me. As I swung with Mjolnir, he sidestepped me and allowed my blow to strike the lower half of his staff. As I ran by him, the staff rotated with the force of my blow, and he used that tremendous momentum to put a long, deep gash through my cape and armor and into my back. I yelled in pain, and then realized that he had left his foot in my way, partially tripping me.

Next thing I knew, I was in pain, bleeding, and down on one knee with a blade held firmly to my neck. _And here I thought I was coming here to give Fin a gift_.

Fin walked around to the front of me, still holding the tip of the Nguyen to my neck.

"Well, you haven't tried anything stupid with Mjolnir yet, which shows me you _know_ that I'm quick enough to kill you before you can succeed. You know, I did the research; lots of old, _old_ books later, it turns out that there _are_ Asgardian kings and princes who have died…which means you aren't _truly_ immortal. How ironic…"

Behind Fin, multiple dragons and their riders landed, joined by Nir the Skrill, who must have had a change of heart because it did not look like he had 'bought much time' for Fin.

"Loki's balls! Is that…_THOR_?!" Their leader—Thuggory, I believe—cried out.

The last thing I saw before I was knocked out was the angered and annoyed look on Fin's face at being interrupted.

Well, I also saw the butt of his staff hit me in the face. But that was it. Lights out after that.

Author's Note: DUN DUN DUN! I am so close to the end of this story Arc, and that was _not_ the true final battle! That's coming up next!

As always, reviews, comments, sarcastic quips, favorite moments; leave them all! See y'all later.

Oh, on a side note, this is my first chapter to actually reread and edit before posting. Ever. You would think that something that basic would be an easy task for me. Or you would think the guy writing a 120,000+ word story wouldn't be lazy; yet, here I am!

Update Author Note: I've started working on the next chapter, but it is going to be _long_.

I'm posting this because I just felt like letting you know that I'm working hard to include an extra big dose of heartache. I'm already cringing at some spots and I haven't even written one of the major turning points yet! :D


	30. LET IT GO! LET IT GO!

Exodus and Return-us: The Soul Trumps the Mind

Chapter 30

Author's Note: Alright, this is going to be my longest chapter ever by probably _double_ my next-longest. I have _soooo_ much I'm planning on doing in this chapter, but this is going to be Hiccup's life flashing before his eyes. Literally, Hiccup is going to passively watch his memories. Be ready to have your heart torn out. ;D

This is the planned last chapter. There will be an epilogue, where I wrap up the frame narrative of Hiccup's letter.

And let me just say, BALLS, this chapter took forever.

Hiccup's Point of View

I awoke with a start, or…rather, I _didn't_ wake up. I wasn't asleep before, as I was standing up. What was I doing? I don't remember. All of a sudden, I realized that I am standing surrounded by a light-gray landscape. It was completely flat in all directions, and it seemed similar, though I don't know why. I can't remember ever seeing something like this before.

Wait…come to think of it, I can't seem to remember _anything_. No matter how hard I try to focus, I can't seem to remember much of anything; not my name, my family, where I'm from, who I am… It feels like my mind is full of experiences and memories locked behind a door and I just don't have the right key.

I decided to walk around. Something tells me that when you're in a blank, endless landscape with no differences anywhere, that's what you do: you walk.

I don't know how long I walked around. Eventually, I counted time by how many times I repeated a certain question. I had _many _questions, but eventually they would run out, and I would start over with 'Who am I?' So far, I am 41,439 repetitions in. Usually, I feel like I would be tired or hungry or at least need to pee by now, but _nope_, apparently time is meaningless here.

"Gah, this is so frustrating. I wish there was just someone here to _explain_ everything to me!" I grumbled, utilizing a healthy amount of sarcasm. Odd, but for some reason sarcasm just felt…right. Maybe I used to be sarcastic. _I wonder why I know what sarcasm is but not my own name…_

As soon as I had asked my stupid question, out of literally NOWHERE a girl appeared not five feet in front of me! I yelped like a little girl, and she chuckled slightly at me.

The girl looked _stunning_. Long, blonde hair that I couldn't look away from was worn straight but kept out of her hair with a—um, hair band thingy? Of course I would forget something as simple as that—that was functional and almost _badass_. Like, her hairband thing was badass. That's impressive.

Her face almost looked like an angel; that's honestly the only way I can describe it. She wore a gray shirt with spiked shoulder pads that matched her spiked skirt. Beautiful, but dressed to kill not only with looks. I was liking her more and more each second.

"Who are you?" I asked once I recovered from my shock.

"Because you wished me here. You wanted someone to explain things you already know but don't remember, so that's my job. You subconsciously wanted me to respond only to direct orders because you're scared by your lack of control right now…" she replied calmly.

"I…wished you here? Like my mind made you?"

"Exactly. Your mind made me. For you." She answered with a smile that was too genuine for the situation. I felt like anything, even an evil smirk, would make me feel more at ease. But because it was genuine, I was now on edge. I guess I'm paranoid, huh?

"So, why can't I remember anything?"

She frowned slightly before answering, as if trying to find the most effective way to explain the situation.

"You _do_ remember things. You have all your memories, but you don't have…access…to them yet."

Oh, great, my mind wished for someone to cryptically answer questions. _Could I please get a straight answer from someone?_

"Okay, I'll play along…how do I get access to my memories?"

"That's a great question. Well, since you willed me to be here, and I can give you straight answers now, I would recommend willing yourself to relive your life." She replied still calmly, but with an air of reason that truly made me consider her words.

That is, until I processed what she said.

"_Relive me life_? Do you have any idea how long that will take?" I asked, to which she nodded. "Of course you do, you can read my mind, can't you?"

"I am a figment of your mind. So yes, I am hooked up to your mind and am therefore 'reading it.'"

"So how long will it take to relive my life?" I asked.

"Well, if for some reason you feel pressed for time, you could will yourself to have control over the speed at which you relive certain parts."

"So, I can fast-forward through sleeping and speed up crappy parts? That will shorten the time, I guess."

"Indeed."

"Wait, so how old am I?"

This time, she actually looked stumped.

"Well, I don't exactly know. I would guess somewhere between late 16 and early 17, though 18 is still possible."

"You guess? If you are hooked up to my mind, how can you not know?"

She looked at me, and I realized that I didn't need her to answer. The only way that is possible is if _I_ don't know my own age.

"How don't I know something like that? What was I even doing?"

"That's something you should rewatch. It's quite entertaining." This time, she smirked as she said that last part. It was something new she did, and I guess that means that my mind is expanding her qualities? I mean, she said that my subconscious made her accept commands so that I felt more 'in control,' so what else do I subconsciously want.

Because there are somethings that I'd rather not try, but my curiosity is _dying_ to know.

_Ugh, I don't need to put more thought into that…..CRAP, she can read my thoughts._

"So, what's so special about this place? Why does my mind have so much power?" I asked in a desperate attempt to change my train-off-thought.

"Well, it's…unique. Extremely rare for anyone to find a place like this. Your soul is a combination of your 'heart' and your 'mind.' This place we are in empowers your soul, and in turn grants it abilities while it is inside."

"Empowers the soul? How?"

"It is isolated. Normally, your heart and your mind are split apart, but you had…another complication. Now, your soul (the heart and mind) is sheltered and kept apart from time."

"Apart from TIME?" I asked loudly.

"Yes. Everything and anything that happens in here takes place in no time outside of here. You can, literally, relive your life then go rejoin the world without missing anything. That is, if you _can_ get out."

Of course. Not everything can be perfect, can it?

"What do you mean by that?"

"It is extremely rare to find a place like this, and even more difficult to get in. Finding the way out is not going to be _easy_."

"Okay, so if I never find the way out, I would just live in here until I die? Or forever?"

"Neither. You can't die in here, but 'forever' implies time. You would just exist in whatever state you chose, with whatever around you that you chose."

Okay, I think I have a handle on this. Seeing as there isn't much else I _do_ have a grip on, at least I have this.

"So, I just _will_ the stuff into place? And it shows up?"

"Yes. That is how everything in here works, from your memories to a cup of tea should you want it."

"What about people?" I asked, immediately thinking about the ways that imaging people could go wrong.

"Well, the only thing close to a full person you can create would be people from your memories. People who are completely imagined would have a shell of a mind. Keep in mind that everyone is based off of your perception of them, so anyone you created wouldn't strictly be whole."

Okay, so everything would be how I see it and not how it is. I can see how that would suck, but I also guess that I could live with it. It depends on my memories, I guess.

"Well, let's give this a try…"

I looked off to my left, then closed my eyes and tried to imagine.

"I'm thinking…a recliner…next to a heart…with a blanket…and some watered ale…where I can watch my memories on a screen!"

I opened my eyes, and was astonished. What I had just pictured and then described was now sitting there, sharply contrasting the monochromatic ground and sky. There was an entire recliner with a blanket and mug of ale floating above it, and a campfire near the where my feet would go.

"So, why are the ale and mug floating but the chair and fire on the ground?" I asked my guide. I guess that makes her a guide, until I learn where I know her face from.

She gave me a look that told me that she didn't need to answer that.

"Right, don't answer that. I imagined setting the ale on a side table, but no table, so it just floated. _There_, that fixes that. And I imagined being under the blanket, so it is waiting for me."

"So you see how specificity is important." She pointed out. Wait, now she's giving advice? How much can my subconscious do to her?

I looked at the scene in front of me, but was slightly disappointed. _I can do better than just a recliner. If these are my memories, then maybe I should _really_ relive them_.

The girl smiled as I thought that. She knew what I was angling at.

I closed my eyes, and imagined the scene I had just created to disappear. Then, I focused on doing a little more this time. Using the analogy the girl used earlier, I imagined a locked door in my mind, then imagined inserting a key into it. Once open, I focused on the very beginning of my life, then imagined that I would watch my memories as a passive ghost: able to watch, but unable to interfere.

As soon as I opened my eyes, the gray plane of existence was gone, and in its place was a wooden home. There were _people_ and _things_ and I just felt so happy to have escaped that nothingness.

Then, I _instantly_ regretted what I had done. It was _awful_ and _horrifying_; I had started at the beginning of my life, so the first thing I saw was a woman giving birth. The fact that I assume she is my mother just makes it _THAT MUCH WORSE_!

_Oh, I think I'm going to be sick! How do I fast forward these parts?!_

Like that, the rate at which the world moved doubled, though I still retained all the information as if I had experienced it normally. Suddenly, there was a time skip as the next thing I saw was a boy in a cradle watching his mother be taken away by a dragon.

**Memory Jump**

Wait, a _dragon?!_ No…that's just ridiculous. Where are these people from, anyways?

And why did I skip from birth to this?

_-This is your infancy. No one would remember much of this anyways.-_

_Oh. Thank you, voice of that lady in my head._

**Memory Jump**

Next thing I knew, there were lots of time skips. I only really saw blurs and bits for about five years. The first full memory I had was when I was 5. I don't know how, but I can always tell who I am, despite not really recognizing myself. And I also know exactly how old I am; for some reason, my first full memory came when I was five years, seven months, and four days.

There was my little self and my father—_STOIC! That's his name!—_spending a night together by a fire. The father was lying in a chair, and I was playing with small wooden blocks near the fire.

_I wonder if I can pause these—oh, yup, now it's paused._

My ghost form hovered lazily in the room. _Cool, I can hover! I wonder what it's like outside this house…_ I phased through the door (which gave me goosebumps) and found snow up to my ghost-waist. _Oh. That sucks._

I floated back inside and resumed the memory. Words seemed to be spoken, but I couldn't understand them. I guess I don't remember them, but I remember the feelings. The little boy felt warm despite the cold, and felt cared for, and felt loved.

_That…that's a good sign. Whatever I did to wind up in here, it looks like I at least had a great father._

Whenever the boy did something, the father was always celebratory of it and encouraging of more. It felt like a safe environment. I almost just wanted to repeat this memory forever because it made me feel so _good_.

Then I remember a very specific feeling. A feeling of empowerment, and of encouragement. I felt that the father—_my father—_had supported me and encouraged me to try something (I don't know what) and somehow I felt that that feeling persisted in me. It became a part of me; that from then on, I would always try no matter what my circumstances would be.

I mean, why wouldn't I, with someone as supportive as my father?

**Memory Jump**

The older I seemed to get, the less the memory jumps happened, until when I was eight there were no more. During those years, everything was going great for me. Despite not having my mother around, I was growing up very quickly and displayed a keen intelligence that did not go unnoticed by many.

Although my dad occasionally had work for me to do, most days were spent running around with my little group. There were two twins who were more focused on hitting each other with sticks than anything else, and their names were Ruffnut (the girl) and Tuffnut (the boy). Next, there was Fishlegs, who was easily the shortest of the group. Everyone kept saying that it was 'in his blood' to grow more and that someday he would be a force, but apparently no one has told him that. I tend to like his company so far, because he always has his head in a book (the Dragon Manual, because what else is there to read?). He's pretty smart, and whenever we play 'get the flag' he always has good ideas. The next person I play with is cousin Snotlout, who is the coolest of the group by _far_. He is my age but he already looks like a Viking with his muscles and he is strong too. I'm lucky that I'm still a little bit taller, otherwise Snotlout would be the best at everything.

And then there's Astrid. She has blonde hair, and acts the most like a Viking out of all of us. She's adventurous, smart, and brave; I can already sense that I am going to be hung on her in the next few years of memories. In fact, she seems a lot like a younger version of a certain guide that I imagined when I…uh, arrived here. Of course, I'm still only eight in these memories, and in a small community like this you never really know how things can change. All it takes is once experience to drive everyone apart.

Oh, I forgot myself—well, my eight year old self—when I listed our group. I _am_ the tallest, but other than that I'm kinda skinny. I'm nowhere near as strong as Snotlout or as brave as Astrid, and for a while it was me and Fishlegs that would get picked last. We only ever had two teams: either Astrid would pick first and get the twins, or Snotlout would. Whoever picked second was always stuck with Fishlegs and me. We play 'get the flag' every day, and we always try to find new places to hide our flag. My team usually loses, but recently that's been changing. I've started suggesting more ideas for strategies, and whenever I'm with Astrid she always makes them work. It actually has worked pretty well, like a tag team: I create the ideas, and she sees them through. And Fishlegs helps.

_Ugh, I keep saying 'I' because that _is_ me, but it keeps sounding like I am talking about myself now. I guess talking about my past self in present tense is still technically valid, but this is really starting to hurt my head. _

Today's memory is already shaping up to be good. I got picked to Astrid's team, which means no matter who wins it will be fun to watch; normally, little kids aren't the greatest entertainment for eternal watching, but apparently we are _Vikings_ and we take things more seriously. Currently, both teams decided to go looking through the woods for a place to hide the flags. Our group was making slow progress with Fishlegs and me slowing us down, but we eventually came to a big hole in the ground.

_Something feels familiar about this_. _Maybe this is a key memory for me._

The hole turned out to be a small cove lined with vertical, rounded stone walls. There's a small pond in the middle, but it seems to have shrunk somewhat…it is the fire season, I guess. The only true vegetation other than one tree are numerous vines that drop down the wall on all sides, making it almost impossible to see the stone from afar. Being the dry season, all the vines were dead, and that gave my younger self an idea. I floated down to get a view of the conversation.

"I'm telling you, we should just put the flag in the middle down there!" I asserted somewhat sheepishly.

"That's stupid. They can find it!" Astrid replied, rather matter-of-factly.

"They can see it, but they won't get out. Once they climb down, we will burn the vines so they can't climb back!" I said with a scary twinkle in my eye.

Fishlegs looked scared by my plan, but Astrid…started to grin genuinely but also devilishly.

_Oh Thor (who I found out that we worship, apparently), she's absolutely adorable when she does that!_

_-Thank you.-_

_GAH! I thought you were just part of my mind!_

_-I am. You're the one who's updating me as soon as you get new info…-_

"Alright, Fishlegs: go get some flint. Swipe it from Gobber if you have to, but don't get caught by him or his fiancée!" Astrid began barking orders, and this is usually the time that our plans really start to take off: when I finish talking, and she starts.

"O-o-okay…" Fishlegs squeaked out feebly.

"Hiccup: you go put the flag down there. I'm going to find some mead!"

"_Mead?!_ W-why do we need that? If you get caught, it won't be nice…" I replied, both genuinely scared by getting caught but also afraid for what could happen to Astrid.

_Yup. I'm going to have a crush on _her_ for a while. Oh well, maybe it will be fun to watch me, in a nostalgic sort of way._

_-Nostalgia from memories you don't remember?-_

_Yea. It's just as odd as it sounds._

"If we soak the vines in mead, they'll burn faster!" She said before she took off. I watched myself watch her for longer than was necessary as she left.

I carefully climbed down into the cove, and planted the flag in the dead middle. It was a spot where the water used to be but had receded from recently. All in all, I did a pretty good job triangulating the dead center.

I had some spare time (we get 30 minutes to set a flag) so I started thinking about things to do until the others got back.

I was going to skip this part, but decided to stay and listen to my own thoughts. It's still strange being able to hear my past self think, although part of it just feels familiar. I guess that's how I would describe this whole experience: weird, yet familiar.

Well, that's planted. We're going to soak a vine, so I guess I should find the longest vine for us to soak!

_Let's see…from what I've seen, the best vines should be the ones that connect to the tree-overhangs way above the cove…_

I bet the vines on those trees way up there would be awesome!

_Huh. Smart kid. How's he going to get them down?_

I found out how. He climbed the tree, then made his way down a branch that had about a 50 foot drop when you consider the cove. And yet, my younger self trudged on without a second thought; apparently, if Astrid needed this, I was going to get it.

_Gods, maybe this crush will get me killed…_

Despite the fact that I know there are still years of memories ahead, I was nervous the whole time I watched myself from that height. I don't know why, but I was fearful like a parent would be; it was almost as if I was my own child. Or maybe I'm just scared of heights…it feels like I have some connection to heights, and being scared of them fits right now.

_Hey, maybe I learn to be scared of heights by falling to my death…_

Much to my relief, I was able to get the vine to fall and retrieve it without any fatal falls. Astrid and Fishlegs returned together with their items just as I retrieved the vine out of the cove where it had fallen from the tree.

"Hey! Astrid! I got a long vine that we can use like a fuse!" I yelled triumphantly, and was received with a smile from Astrid and Fishlegs (though his was more nervous).

_Wow, things are so simple when you're eight._

"Great! Let's put it in here to soak. We still have five minutes…" Astrid replied, and soon we had a crude but effective fuse and were wrapping it around the lip of the cove so that we would ignite the vines all the way around.

There was the sound of a distant horn—something the docks used, which doubled as our signal to start—and Astrid began giving orders.

"Fishlegs, you come with me. I'll use you to distract their guard. They always bring two attackers, so Hiccup you stay hidden and light the fuse with this flint once they're down there!" She commanded while giving me the flint she had taken from Fishlegs.

The next thing I knew, Astrid and Fishlegs ran through my ghost form unknowingly while they took off to search for Snotlout's flag.

My younger self took the slack on the fuse-vine and sat in a nearby tree, ready to ignite the vine without ever giving himself away. All in all, it was a very clever plan, but something in me told me that there was more to this story. I felt a painful twinge of familiarity, and it just gave me the sense that something bad would happen. I mean, we were literally playing with fire.

I sped up the memory and found out that I just sat in a tree for twenty minutes. I had already learned that if I wondered from myself, then the landscape would be exactly like I imagined it, but no people. If I knew what people were doing, then I would have a memory of it. But in every other case, if I left myself all I could do is roam the areas I had already been, and there would be no people there.

So after twenty minutes of reliving a sped-up memory of sitting in a tree and imagining the glory of besting THE Snotlout, I was relieved when they finally showed up.

All three of them, Snotlout and the Twins, were jogging and only partially trying to be stealthy. Tuffnut almost fell into the cove, and Ruffnut tackled him down the ledge, being slowed down on their tumble by the vines. It wasn't until Snotlout peaked over the edge that he saw the flag, and quickly climbed down the vines himself.

"Do any of y'all smell mead?" Snotlout asked absently while on his climb down. The Twins were too busy wrestling to reply, and he let it go.

_Wow, he's probably going down there to take the credit for finding the flag_. I thought cynically.

Wow, he's going to carry the flag _and_ the Twins out! How cool! My younger self thought, much to my chagrin.

"Hey! The flag…uh, who put _that_ there?" chimed Tuff.

"Uh, probably one of _Hiccup's_ ideas…" Ruff replied.

"Well, it doesn't matter now, because this is gonna be _my_ flag now!" Snotlout bragged.

Not this time, hehe.

I quietly lit the fuse, and the flames were slow to take hold. However, when they did, they spread down the vine at a moderate speed. Once the fire was about a third the way around the cove's lip, Snotlout spotted it and followed it back to me.

"HEY! What do you think you're doing?" He yelled.

"Uh, well, obviously I'm trapping you!" I yelled back smugly.

Surely enough, the flames finished their wrap-around and the regular vines started to catch fire. The dry season this year had been particularly rough, and once the vines started catching fire there was no stopping them.

I just hovered, watching myself watch the others for five minutes before Astrid and Fishlegs turned up with their flag.

"There wasn't anyone guarding their flag! All we have to do is take it to the mead hall now—WHOA. We catch them?" Astrid called out, rounding a tree and seeing the rising blaze as she did.

"HEY! We're down here! Very funny…can we come out now?" Snotlout hollered.

I made it down from the tree, and we all just looked at each other awkwardly.

"Oh, uh…sure, just let the fire end first…" I called out.

"You mean you can't put this out?" Snotlout replied with a hint of panic in his voice.

"Nope. It will die down, don't worry!" Astrid called back.

Thirty minutes later, we had a problem. The wind had carried small pieces of flaming vines straight towards the village. Usually, it wouldn't be enough to do much damage, but apparently we were just unlucky. After 15 minutes we were able to get Snotlout and the Twins out, and we all spent the next 15 minutes trying to stamp out the rest of the vines. Apparently, lighting vines on fire during the dry season was a bad idea, and we thought we had finally finished out work until we got back to the village.

It was on fire. Not all of it, but a good half. One of the flaming vines landed on a haystack, and from there the fire great uncontrollable. People were panicking, running in all directions and cries for help and cries for loved ones were so jumbled that the entire scene epitomized chaos.

It took three hours to finally beat the fire, and it was only accomplished because Stoic order than a row of homes be demolished to keep the fire from spreading to the other half of the village. I found it darkly ironic that a village that specializes in dragon-raid defense would be so susceptible to fire during the day.

When it was all over, the sun had almost finished setting. I had just found my dad who was busy drinking a quick tankard of ale and listening to damage reports.

"Stoi', final reports say we lost 13 tonight. Roughly half the village was lost, but it was all homes; no storehouses or functional buildings, fortunately." Spitelout reported.

"What do you mean 'fortunately'? We lost 13 good Vikings today! Half of the village has no home! In what scenario is that 'fortunate'?!" Stoic thundered, and it genuinely surprised both my past self and my ghost self.

"Well, at least there isn't a raid…" I piped up from Stoic's side. Somehow, I had managed to say the _one_ comforting thing that just seemed to stir up my dad's anger even more.

In fact, I had stunned the room. No one seemed agree with my statement.

_Wow. Of all the bad times to make a joke…how stupid am I?_

I ghost face-palmed.

And then I learned a valuable lesson: the world hates me. Can you _guess_ what happened to break the awkward silence?

"DRAGON RAID! INCOMING!"

Oh yes. I called it, didn't I?

An hour later, my dad and I were in our hall with him finishing another round of mead. He didn't drink mead often, but when he did it was either to celebrate or the opposite. Tonight was an opposite kinda night.

"Son…we need to talk." I froze as soon as the words were spoken (my ghost and my past both).

_A chill just ran down the spine that I don't have right now…why?_

Oh, oh-oh gods, he found out. It was my idea.

"Gobber…Gobber…" he started, struggling to find the best place to start. "You know Bruna, right?"

I nodded enthusiastically, relieved that this wasn't about me.

"Well, she and Gobber are engaged. They were going to get married last spring, but…"

"Ooh, I know. We didn't have enough mead for a proper wedding! That's what Gobber told me!"

Stoic looked unsure of himself, but trudged on. I floated closer; Gobber was growing on me despite any reason to do so whatsoever.

"That's not actually true. Gobber and Bruna are…a great fit. Too great, actually; they were so similar that they started driving each other insane, so Gobber postponed the wedding for a year…"

"Really? That's odd."

"Well…Bruna-Bruna died tonight…in the fires. You should have seen Gobber out there fighting in the raid…it was something else."

"I did! It was awful! He took down a Gronkle but was wearing any pants!" My past self scrunched his nose at the memory.

The image of Gobber, in his suspiciously-colored skivvies, popped up in my mind (much to my horror).

"Yes, I saw that. All his pants burnt in the fire."

"All of them? That doesn't seem possible. What about the pants he was wearing when the fire started?"

Stoic looked like a man caught in an awkward position.

"Well, er, he _wasn't_ doing anything that required pants when the fire caught them by surprise…"

Huh. That's odd. Why wouldn't he have his pants on?

"That's a conversation for a different time, Hiccup." Stoic grumbled while rubbing the bridge of his nose for comfort.

_Oh. OH. OH GODS! THAT'S HORRIFYING! WAS GOBBER…AND BRUNA…WHAT THE HELL! WHY WOULD YOU TELL ME THAT?!_

"…but when the raid started, he was so angry he almost broke my single-night kill record. Until a nightmare bit off his hand…"

_WHAT? Why would it do that?"_

"But he doesn't _bathe!_"

"I know. I didn't say it made sense. But once he's recovered, I want you to help him in the smithy…"

I'm not sure who was more surprised: me or ghost-me.

_Work with a blacksmith? That would be like taking a job as the dragons' toothpick!_

"But…like, I am the single worst choice for that. At least Fishlegs is supposed to grow!"

"HA HA, and you're not? Have you seen your father?" He joked, flexing his muscle comically.

"Hiccup, this is a great opportunity! This can only make you stronger, and Gobber is gonna need something to help him get over this."

I wasn't convinced, and my face clearly said so.

"Plus, you'll get a chance to apply yourself to something! What job could be more important! You'll be helping everyone in the village!"

I looked like I was about to say something—because I was—but the thought died down when another, more chilling thought struck me.

Well, maybe I can make it up to the village for this fire…

"Okay. So when do I start?" I responded slightly defeated, but surprisingly enthusiastic. An odd combo that received an odd look from my father.

"Well...obviously, we need to let his hand heal, so I'd say a month."

After a brief goodnight, I headed upstairs and spent the night thinking about what had happened. After a few hours of restless sleep, I had made a commitment to myself: Make the village better, however I can…it's the least I can do.

**Memory Jump**

_Boy, was I ever wrong. Well, actually, I was spot on about the crush on Astrid. I'm head over heels like a fool, and don't have a chance in the world. Of _course_ I would be hung on a hopeless crush. I can't have any fun memories._

What I was wrong about was, well, everything else. The biggest and most obvious is how bad I have it now. I've watched seven more years of my life, and having just watched my fifteenth birthday, I've been shocked to see things go downhill so quickly. In essence, my quest to make the village better has ended in failure at every turn, and I've received scorn from everyone for it. It's bad enough for everyone that the Chief's son is so skinny and weak, but the fact that I've spent years destroying things through my failure has turned popular opinion against me.

_If you had told me after those early memories that I would have had no support from my father, I likely would have laughed at you._

_-And now you see why I can't spoil your memories for you.-_

Oh, and there's her. Mind-Astrid is driving me crazy with smug remarks at just the right time, and I seem to be unable to consciously alter her. And she's so different from all the memories so far: the memories of her are this amazing, brave, strong, fierce, and determined girl who is focused on becoming a warrior and nothing else. The Astrid in my mind is more…relaxed. I guess I _can_ see Astrid having that sort of personality, but she's way too uptight to reveal herself. It's like she needs to go through something major that teachers her not to be so intense, but that prospect concerns me.

But that doesn't concern me as much as what I'm going through. Even though I feel detached (watching your own memories does that to you), _I_ am taking the horrible circumstances I live under worse than my memory-self. I suppose having an outsider's view helps you see that what you have is worse than everyone else. I mean, for all I know the world outside of the Archipelago could be much worse. But how bad off I am still sickens me.

_But I am the smartest one around, though. _

_-That really isn't saying much.-_

Anyways, to the day in my memory. The day before I tried to build a machine than cut wood automatically. Technically, it worked; however, it worked on someone's hall. Or four someone's halls.

"Don't you get tired of being a failure?" Someone told me that yesterday. Well, they said it under their breath, but I heard it nonetheless. They're just scared of upsetting my dad…however he agrees with him.

I need a way to make everyone forget about all my failures. I need a success so big that my potential will suddenly outweigh my mistakes.

I had already attempted to bring down dragons through various devices, without any success. My Spear-Launcher nearly killed a Nadder, but it almost hit Gobber as well.

_Heh. Poor Gobber. He hit his hand so hard with a hammer shortly after he lost his hand that Goethi had it cut off. He's told everyone that the same dragon that got his leg came back for him._

_And's he's also sworn off getting married, ever. That's not as fun._

Taking down a regular dragon isn't going to do it for anyone at this point: not the village, not my dad, nor Astrid. No, it's going to take something legendary.

_Oh crap. I know he's not actually thinking this…_

I need to take down a Night Fury.

_Crap. Is this how I die?_

_-You aren't dead-_

I began working in my little workspace at the rear of the forge. Designs on springs—one of my favorite utilities—began to cover every loose scrap of paper I could find.

I watched keenly watched myself all night. "Project Night Fury" as I dubbed it from my watching position took many forms and alternate versions until the sun rose. By then, I had just finished my last few tweaks on the designs, and stood back to look at everything.

I stood there, arms crossed with one hand absently rubbing my chin. My ghost-self floated over and mimicked the stance unintentionally, both forms staring at the designs intently.

Functional. I can make a spring strong enough.

_Unfolding Wheel-Barrow design, so I can take the shot from an ideal position._

The sights are wide, allowing good view of flying targets.

_A double-Ballista design for ideal bow-strength and stability._

Reload speed under ten seconds, and weak-user friendly.

_Rotational axis to track fast targets. Good idea there._

We both absently nodded our heads, in sync without even acknowledging the other's presence. Our one difference was in our thinking, however.

I'm a little less optimistic.

_Nice. Never going to take down a Night Fury, though._

This could actually work…

**Memory Jump**

I can't believe it. I just simply can't believe what I just relived. I did it. _I shot down a Night Fury_. Nevermind the cringe-inducing scenes that followed, but I actually hit it!

And after a mostly fruitless search, I've finally come upon the beast.

And I let it go.

_Wait, what the f—yup, I let it go. _

And it's about to kill me.

_Wait to go, dumbass._

And it shattered my ear-drums. I didn't think a ghost _had_ ear drums…

And it let me go.

And I fainted.

_Well, if that isn't the lowest point of my life, I don't know what is._

**Memory Pause **

Okay, so I found out what the lowest point of my life is. Well, at least as far as I am, but it's going to be extremely hard to 'top' this.

"Go back, you skipped a month or so" Mind-Astrid demanded.

"Why? You can _hear_ my thoughts in here! You know more than I do."

"Yes, but it'll be better if you have to revisit everything."

_Ugh, fine._

Okay, I can tell you what it _isn't_.

"Better?"

"Sure."

Well, the lowest point of my life wasn't releasing the Night Fury—Toothless. That…actually worked out pretty well. I still find it hard to believe that after the great start I had to life, that the only true friend who cares for me is a _dragon_.

Actually, the moment when I put my faith into him and Toothless gently pressed into my hand is probably the _highpoint_ of my life. I still feel excited when I think of that moment, and I've even gone back and relived the sensation more than once.

A close second for high point of my life was that moment when Toothless and I just clicked during a flight—fortunately, too, because otherwise I would be dead.

Or when Toothless started talking. That was surreal.

_And of course, he's a sarcastic SOB just like me. Thor knows we don't need any _more_ sarcasm around here._

"I like to think I got this from you!" Astrid interjected.

Another contender for highpoint of my life would be during that one-on-one with Astrid, where Stormfly and I rigged the fight. The pure surprise on her face was priceless!

Oh, and that also brings me to the low points.

I mean, I've got stiff competition for this one. _So many failures_. The disappointed look that seems to permanently plaster my father's face when I'm around just hurts. The world's worst pep talk from Gobber—"it's what's on the inside that he can't stand"—also hit home hard.

And then all the moments with Astrid. Trying so hard to catch her eye and never succeeding was tough, but I kinda got used to it. Once I finally was popular with the village, it made Astrid notice me, but only to hate me.

She didn't play a primary role in the lowest point of my life, but she set the bar high. The moment after our private battle with Stormfly practically fractured my heart. When I told her I was through with her—which, apparently I was wrong about if Mind-Astrid counts—the words came straight from my soul before I had a chance to think about them. Heck, they surprised past-me and ghost-me when they came out.

But the lowest point of my life came because of both Toothless and Astrid. I finally had what I had desired for years—well, two out of three, which isn't bad—in the village's and my father's pride. And it sickened me. Every day made things worse, knowing that I was being heralded as the next great dragon slayer because of tricks I learned from my dragon best friend.

And all of that only served to make Astrid hate me. I truly couldn't do anything right in that department, and she only served to make a bad situation worse.

My life was already at its lowest after the Astrid incident, but the moment with my father was the 'peak' of my misery.

The thoughts about the village's praise had been stirring on my mind all day, to the point where every moment away from Toothless I was sick to my stomach. And then my father comes in, bursting with pride for the Hope and Heir of Berk. And it was only made worse because for a second, I thought he knew. I thought he knew and he _approved_. Of me—the real me, the one who befriended Toothless.

Gods, ghost-me cried hard when I found out I was wrong. The exact opposite. My father's love for me was rekindled because I was destined to slay dragons, the last thing I ever wanted to do.

"Are you crying?" Astrid asked incredulously.

"Shut up! It's not funny!"

Memory-me was too stunned after that encounter to cry. Too stunned to even think about crying. There was only one thing he was going to do, and it was the greatest idea I've had.

Leaving. That was the best thing I ever decided to do. I was 15 and already had hit the highs and lows of my life. That shouldn't happen.

At least, I _hope_ I already hit the low point. I'm not sure what could be worse, but I'd hate to find out.

**Memory Resume**

_Screw all those painful memory stuff. It _has_ to get better, right?_

Things had, indeed, been getting better. The Squad—Me, Toothless, and our few dragons—had founded a nest and even taken out Drago Bludvist. That fight was the most anxious I've ever been (as a ghost).

And then to top all that off, things with two different tribes have been going great. They wanted to teach me formal training, which is probably the biggest no-brainer decision. And I decided to delay as long as I could. Naturally.

~_What was that about being the smart one?~_

Oh yea. Toothless started talking in my head now. Because _that's _lovely.

Currently, I had left the Bog Burglar island because I needed to round up Gronkles and work on my Sanctuary. I had given them a very detailed lecture on what needed to be done, and flew back to the Bogs at night only to find two more ships docked.

My father's ships.

Wonderful.

_*Let me guess. Dramatic flair? Ballistic whistle landing or shrieking fireball?*_

Let's go with the landing. Less risk of causalities…

We nailed it, and left them reeling.

_No, we left ourselves reeling. We hoped that they were as shaken as we were. _

Gods, this 'tough act' stuff is hard. I wonder if there is a way to make it easier…

_Why do I get the feeling that's going to come back to bite me?_

Mind-Astrid and Mind-Toothless answered simultaneously.

_~No reason…~_

_-No reason…-_

**Memory Jump**

_Oh. My. Thor. _

_-Yea. We don't believe it either.-_

_~Hiccup, you fought like a ninja, we get it. Stop staring at yourself like that…it's making people start talking…~_

_What people? There's only you two!_

_Oh. I see. Very funny, unifin._

_-Wow. That was uncalled for…-_

Thuggory just looked at me if I had grown a third head. Granted, I had just kicked the more ass in one duel than I thought was possible, but still. I could work with this.

My ghost self floated over to see things from Thuggory's perspective. The 'glow' in my eyes must have gone away, but my eyes definitely looked off. It was as if I had flicked a switch, and suddenly was a new man. The change was discrete, but its effects were undeniable: I looked like a warrior. And I felt like one, too.

**Memory Jump**

I had found a solution to my problem. No one would take me seriously, even if I was decently threatening. I had to be more than threatening: I had to be legendary. So what makes a legend? There's no exact formula, but escaping inescapable situations unscathed was a good place to start. And then your persona: escaping said situations and being a cocky bastard about it the whole time.

In fact, that's a good way to describe my battle persona Fin: a cocky bastard. And I'm already starting to prove I can back it up. I ride a Night Fury, yet I've made sure to make my most impressive moves on my own. Word is spreading through the tribes I've been visiting, and even though things with Dagur are pointing to a confrontation, my reputation is being bolstered.

That's been my formula: 'Fin' displays his power, then 'Hiccup' takes care of relations and everything else. I'm worried that soon just showing my power once won't be enough: Fin may need to show up at a negotiation, and from there it's a slippery slope.

But if I ever speak to Dagur, I'll be sure to let Fin out. I can't let Dagur be the _only_ deranged one around.

_Okay, I was freaking awesome and I am completely terrified of myself now. _

_-Wimp.-_

_SHUT UP ASTRID! I'm trying to sound cool here._

_-For who? _Me_?-_

_I don't know. It just sounds better to say cool things into a void than lame things._

_~You're going insane.~_

_BECAUSE I'M TRAPPED HERE WITH YOU TOO!_

**Memory Jump**

Oh, the 'Fin and Hiccup' tandem has worked beautifully. I declared war on Dagur (and made some of his men shake in their boots) as Fin, and as Hiccup I convinced the Archipelago not to join him.

_Most of them. This can't end well._

And now, I've get to lead a plan that could solidify me as a legend.

_If you don't die_.

Alright, I've made my last check for everything. All that's left is to let Fin out and engage the enemy.

Alright, show time.

As a ghost, I decided to hover right next to myself for this battle. Normally, I would want to watch something like this through my own eyes, but this has the potential to be epic.

I approached the enemy's camp, and they formed a solid line. After a little bit of shouting, fighting broke out where I did really well until they realized that I wasn't going for kill shots.

Damn. I'm going to have to do something about this.

_Well, crap, Astrid has a knife to his neck. This can't be good_.

_Just kidding. They have a blade to Stormfly's neck! This ISN'T good!_

And then it happened: all Hell broke loose. Spitelout slit her throat, and died seconds after. To my blade.

_I killed my _uncle_. _

I quickly repossessed my body. Seeing my memories through my own eyes strengthens the emotional aspects, but this time there was…nothing. I saw red, and felt enraged and hateful, then suddenly nothing. I didn't even have conscious control over my body.

Fin did. And he was furious. And next thing you knew, there was blood everywhere. And bodies, ugh. No one was spared Fin's wrath.

Wait. Astrid was. Fin stared her down as coldly as he could, then told her to run. Or was that me? I took control and told Astrid to run, but Fin…still didn't kill her. He had no reservations about killing anyone—even stabbed my dad!—but hesitated to kill Astrid.

And Astrid forced me to snap out of the rage and take control from Fin.

_Why?_

_~You know the answer to that…~_

_I'm afraid that I do…_

_~You love her.~_

_-Duh.-_

**Memory Pause**

_Oh yea, somewhere in there I skipped over all this stuff with the Queen and an Order and powers and all this crap. That could be important. _

_Oh, and I came up with the _best_ name to call Toothless!_

_~I swear, if you call me a 'Bitch-ass Eel' then I will make your existence hell.~_

**Memory Resume**

Oh gosh, now my life is just too complicated. Astrid's part of the order. She's trying to be nice. I hate her. I love her. What the hell is going on?

_This was all so much easier when I avoided Berk like I did weightlifting…_

And now I was about to testify against Berk in a trial to condemn them. I have about one whole minute to figure out what I'm gonna say.

Okay, first Gobber shouldn't be punished. He's the only good person from Berk.

Okay, well that's not completely true. Astrid is…confusing. Things have gone too well, and it's like now she wants to spend time with me. It's the third thing I wanted way back when, and now she's actually eager to meet the real me. But I don't think I can trust her.

But she's about to agree with condemning Berk to whatever punishment I want, without ever really questioning my lead.

Crap. My minute's up. I guess I'll wing it.

**Memory Jump**

Ugh, just too much has happened. My past self has been contacted by Thor, and that's not even the most confusing! And on top of that I've had weeks spent on a ship with little else to do but think, which is _not_ helpful. Problems should be left alone and unpondered: that's the way guys do things. Don't worry and don't get sentimental. Starting thinking things through and everything gets so complicated.

It's Astrid. Plain and simple. Just her presence sends my memory-self into a frenzy. Sometimes I still don't breathe when I look into her eyes. I've been completely honest with myself and admitted that I love her—which makes sense and explains why she was the first person I saw in here—but my memory-self has no idea how much I really love her.

I think that Fin is starting to grow too big for his britches, and I'm concerned that I could lose myself willingly to Fin. But whenever Astrid is there with me, Fin is complicit, as if he either wants control or wants Astrid there.

_Great. My split personality is _also_ madly in love with Astrid. What _are _the odds?_

And then there's those cryptic dreams, where I'm never quite fast enough. Those are really starting to get on my nerves. I just don't have a good feeling about any of this.

**Memory Jump, then Pause**

_OH MY GOD! I JUST…WHAT THE….ASTRID!_

_NO! SHE CAN'T…! NOT NOW! WE-WE JUST…I JUST…WE NEVER HAD TIME! _

_I wasn't fast enough. _

_She's dead. Gone. Just when we had patched things up._

_Gods, why do my memories seem intent on ripping my own heart out with a spork!?_

"Hiccup! Are you crying?...Oh…so you saw that memory…" Astrid said as she approached me.

I was so affected by that memory-_GODS, SHE DIED IN MY ARMS!—_that I didn't even realize I had paused the memory and returned to the blank plane until Mind-Astrid showed up.

Next thing I knew, I was in Astrid's arms and bawling my eyes out.

I literally don't know how long I was there—no time and all—but it felt like an eternity yet was too brief before Astrid broke the embrace.

"It's okay. I'm here now."

Suddenly I found myself unable to look her in the eyes, and stared down at her feet.

"I know, but…this doesn't really count. You're not…you. Not completely. You're just how I imagine you."

"And what difference does that make?" She said, trying to sound both sassy and comforting at the same time.

"You are whatever I want you to be. You aren't completely you. There's no…free will involved. I can't completely love you because I know you _have_ to love me—that's how I see you."

"So what are you going to do, then?"

"I don't know. I don't feel like watching any more of my life if it's that depressing."

"Then we'll stay here. We have all the time in the world."

**Memory Resume**

It probably took a lot of time before I ever resumed, but when I did I was just…_not_ horrified. I should have been; Fin completely took over after Astrid's death, and I was merely a passenger.

But I wasn't upset. I was shell-shocked, just like my past-self had been.

On my journey with Fin, we found Thor's hidden temple and found out everything we could about Soulstone, including how to get in and out of one. To get in, it takes a huge amount of power (we were just going to have Thor strike us with lightning). Getting out was the tricky part.

The soul is an intricate combination of your heart and your mind; in essence, it is your complete identity. A Soulstone is even more intricate, because it takes the form of a perfect trap for whatever soul it is used on. To get out, one must alter his soul so radically that the trap is no longer effective for him.

From there, we had a dream where we met with Thor. The Soulstone plan wouldn't work in a dream, but what Thor offered us was the perfect opportunity: a face to face meeting. As soon as we realized that was on the table, we had tunnel vision and the rest of the meeting seemed like a blur. The rest of the meeting might as well have not have happened; we had our opportunity.

And when we got there, we took it. The fight was quick and anticlimactic, which worked to our favor. We had made _Thor_ feel our rage, and he knew we would not be denied.

_This isn't right. I shouldn't be doing this. I shouldn't allow Fin unchecked control._

And then the others barged in.

Thuggory swore majestically.

We knocked Thor out, and then tuned to the crowd.

"So you've turned my last ally against me. Nir, how could you?" Fin asked, but without any of his usual swagger or charm. In its place was an anger that was unprecedented.

_*Nir is thinking with even a sliver of reason! This is complete insanity, Hiccup! You just knocked out _THOR!*

"No, insane would be if a mortal fought Thor. I had no fear of dying today, though I can't say the same for most of you!"

He charged the crowd with his Nguyen, still wet with Thor's blood. The first wave of the battle went quickly. Although all riders had started experiencing speed and power increases from their bonds, none of them could match Fin. Though Fin didn't kill anyone outright, he left deep gashes in key muscle groups in people's arms and legs that would hinder their continued presence in the fight.

_He has no intention of destroying the Order. They're still his legacy._

It was insanely impressive to see Fin fight. All of the riders fought in sync with each other and the dragons nearly flawlessly, forcing Fin to bring his A game if he wanted to win.

He did. The speed and fluidity of his movements both with his body and weapon were mesmerizing. Lightning would be shot at him by Nir followed by fire from a Rumblehorn and he would redirect the lightning while twisting to hide behind his ice shield. That shield would then be flung at his next target to distract them, and he would use the long reach of the Nguyen to leave a gash on their legs.

Within thirty hectic seconds, Fin and the riders split sides and regrouped. Fin had only scratches on his armor and a small cut on his cheek. The only two riders left standing were Thuggory—who had a little experience against Fin—and Valka—who's staff combat was better suited to counter a Nguyen—and they were joined by all the dragons.

Thuggory took a quick glance at all of his allies lying on the ground in pain before looking Fin in the eyes; something inside of Thug had snapped, and it was evident that whatever he did next would the his absolute greatest effort to kill Fin.

_Not that he can kill Fin, but it at least buys them some time._

Fin twisted his staff until it receded on its self, then put it away and drew his flaming sword. He took a defensive stance, and beckoned for Thuggory to attack.

Thuggory did. He charged him carefully, and attacked in a straight down swipe that Fin blocked, leaving Fin and Thuggory interlocked in a push-o-war (opposite of a tug-o-war). Then, to Fin's evident surprise, Thug allowed himself to lose the gridlock and used Fin's momentum to pull him closer to the dragons. As soon as he did that, Nir fired a powerful lightning bolt that caught Fin right in the chest.

Before any of the other dragons had a chance to fire, however, Fin grinned madly, a sight that caused everyone to falter slightly.

"Thanks" Fin mocked, and fired the lightning back at Nir. Instead of Nir absorbing this like Fin, the lightning used Nir as a prism and shot out from him to all of the dragons. Nir was unharmed, but only one other dragon was quick enough to take shelter.

So now we were down to Fin vs. Nir, Toothless, Thuggory, and Valka.

_Oh, this isn't good!_

Thuggory recovered from the shock and tried to take advantage of his position behind Fin by stabbing him in the back, but Fin had already started turning before Thug even tried. He was close, but Fin parried his blow and delivered a powerful punch to his gut that knocked the wind out of poor Thuggory.

Fin was evidently tired of playing defense, and charged at Nir while throwing ice-shields at him. Nir was agile enough to dodge most of them, but Fin was playing him and set him up for a perfect shot to the face. The ice-shield shattered on impact, giving Nir a headache but otherwise unhurt. It also left him dazed, which was all that Fin needed. He dove under Nir's belly and scratched a spot specific to Skrill's that forced Nir to go unconscious and fall on his side.

_3v1. Still not good._

_*HICCUP! THIS NEEDS TO STOP!*_

Fin turned to Toothless, who was merely ten feet away and was also the only person capable of matching Fin's speed.

_^NO! I _WILL_ DO THIS! WHY CAN'T ANY OF YOU SEE HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS!^_

_*IT CAN'T HAPPEN! SHE'S GONE, HICCUP!*_

_^STOP. CALLING. ME. THAT!^_

Before Fin could charge, Toothless fired a plasma blast at him. Fin promptly absorbed the blast in his hand nonchalantly.

_^We're bonded, stupid. Our powers cancel out.^_

To make a point, Fin slung an ice-shield at Toothless, and it bounced off harmlessly.

_^We have to settle this the old-fashioned way… Once again, it's man versus dragon, except this time _I'm_ the one you should pray never finds you.^_

Thuggory and Valka had tried to get in position behind Fin, but he charged after Toothless before they could.

_Fin vs. Fate. How symbolic, if it didn't _terrify_ me._

The fight was a blur. Toothless dodged Fin's swipes with grace and Fin ducked and weaved through Toothless' bite attempts, paw swipes, and tail flicks. Eventually, Toothless gained the upper hand and was able to knock Fin's sword away, so Fin climbed aboard Toothless. He wrapped himself around the back of Toothless neck like an amateur dragon-rider, then hopped off right as Toothless rolled over in an attempt to crush Fin. He landed on Toothless belly, to which Toothless tried to snap at him with his teeth—but alas, moved too quickly again. Toothless finished his roll, and realized that he had lost sight of Fin. He panicked, turning around frantically before remembering that Fin's sword lay off to his left side by a few feet.

Toothless flung his tail around in an attempt to stop Fin from recovering his sword. Fin dive-rolled for the sword, and just barely had it in his hands before Toothless' tail smacked him upside the head. However, he didn't have time to dodge the attack, and put his sword up to protect himself.

There was the sound of leather ripping, followed by a shriek by Toothless. Fin had the perfect opportunity to press his attack and knock out Toothless.

But he froze. He was chilled to the bone, completely unable to move. All of his strength was fighting an internal battle: he had _ripped off Toothless' tail fin_, the same one he had ripped off once before, and the dormant Hiccup was now roaring in full force to take control once again.

Fin was still in control, and Hiccup would have been able to take back over if Fin's body wasn't suddenly flung backwards, forcing Fin back into reality. Toothless had fired the most powerful plasma blast to date, and because it caught Fin in the chest-plate and not his skin, it was not absorbed. Fin was flung backwards six feet and skidded for four more. The blast had been so powerful and created such a booming echo that the Soulstone Fin had stored in his chest-plate was flung across the room.

Fin slowly picked himself off the ground, considerably shaken from the impact.

_I'm almost completely caught up to my memories! How do I get in here?!_

In the wake of the massive boom that Toothless' shot had made, Thor jolted awake and found Fin being flung towards him. Thor's keen eyes spotted the Soulstone being flung away, which meant that he could finally use his lightning.

Fin skidded to a stop not two feet from Thor, and stood back up without any idea that Thor was now standing behind him. Thor raised Mjolnir (quietly) and summoned lightning from the sky to come down onto Fin. Fin was trying to say something clever—almost like Loki—when the lightning hit him.

"Heh. Lucky sho—"

"**GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"** Fin screamed at the top of his lungs as the lightning struck him. No mortal had _ever_ survived this much lightning at once, so the pain Fin felt must have been astonishing.

**Memory End**

"THAT'S IT! THAT'S ALL! I'M CAUGHT UP?" Hiccup yelled, frustrated with the resolution to his life—at least so far, anyways.

"What do you mean 'that's it'? That was a battle for the ages!" Astrid remarked behind him.

"But…but…how do I get in here? Am I not trapped in a Soulstone?"

"Yes, you are. Didn't you see?"

"What do _you_ mean 'didn't you see'? You saw everything I saw!"

"Well, let's go back and watch that last little bit again. This time, stand in front of Fin and watch carefully as the lightning strikes him…" Astrid replied with a small grin.

"FINE."

I imagined the scene I was just in, paused as I was now current with my life. I focused on the point just before the lightning struck me, and imagined playing my life at half-speed.

"**GGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"**

_Yes, hearing my body scream for twice as long is pleasant. The unbearable pain on my face is a particularly good look._

I watched it again, and tried not to focus on my face. I failed.

I tried seven more times, but each time the scene got _funnier_ for some reason until I was crying from laughing at the look on my face.

_It's just _too _intense! No one ever looks like that!_

_-Sigh…try watching anything but the face.-_

_Yes, _mother_._

I watched it again, and this time imagined that I _couldn't _see my face. Instantly, my eyes went to Fin's belt. It was the belt I had made after trading for some emeralds and onyxes. The two emerald-onyx eyes were in a different chest-plate, but I still wore the belt with the perfect onyx in the center.

Right now, that onyx was glowing _black_. I had no idea in Hel how it was _glowing _black, but it was.

_No…that couldn't…_

Half-way through the scene, the onyx had continued to glow brighter until it shot off the belt itself.

_I guess…I've always worn that belt everywhere…_

Once off of my belt, the perfect onyx maintained its glow.

_That…would make sense. It explains all this._

It was evident that Thor struck me because I didn't have a Soulstone ready. He was wrong.

**Memory End**

"Gods above...er, next to me, kinda…" I absently mused, too lost in the implications. I had been in hear for what felt like ages, yet this all hit me anew now that it was complete.

_~Ding ding, give him a prize!~_ Toothless mocked lightheartedly.

"So, that's what's going on out there?" I asked, not sure who would answer.

"Yea. That moment where your memory ends is the instance where you would be if you got out of here." Astrid answered.

"So, the Soulstone split me? Fin stays in my body and I'm trapped here?"

"You aren't trapped. It's just…not easy to get out." Astrid replied.

"I know. I could stay here indefinitely and nothing go wrong. Time out there wouldn't advance, and I could do anything in here with anyone…"

I rubbed my forward and then the rest of my face with both of my hands. I was at a turn in the road. I could just stay here as long as I want then keep going, but why would I? I'm sure I could find something to do for forever…

I'm more worried that I wouldn't want to leave. If I wanted to, I could just forget that this isn't real and relive my life. I could relive the great moments and leave the bad parts out.

I could stay here forever, and be happy. I would have fun. It would be more than my life can offer.

But it isn't real. And it isn't living.

But isn't this better than living? Complete control over everything? I could be my own god! Whatever I want would happen!

But…I can't leave my life how it is. I can't pretend to have a good life in here if my _actual_ life out there is a mess.

So it's settled, I have to get out.

"So you'd decided?" Astrid asked, coming up beside me and hugging me from the side and resting her head on my shoulder.

Oh. I forgot about this. This…could make me reconsider.

"Well, I'm not so sure anymore."

"Don't lie to yourself. You know what you've chosen."

"Yea, but I forgot I could chose you…"

"Don't lie to yourself like that, you already said this doesn't count."

"It _shouldn't_, but if I tried I could make this work…" I gave a small smile at my comment.

"No, you know that you couldn't. You know what you have to do, Hiccup."

I didn't reply. Tears were already fighting their way out, and I close my eyes and looked down.

"It's okay, Hiccup. Just know that I lo—" I cut her off before she could finish.

"Don't say it, please. If you do, I…I won't be able to leave. But I do, I know that. It's always been obvious that I feel the same."

I sadly broke the embrace and walked forward, keeping Astrid behind me.

"They say if you l-love something, then let it go. I've thought about just wishing myself to forget you, but that'd be cruel to both of us."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Well, to get out I must alter my soul. And I know how. I've always…latched on to you; the _idea_ of you, my l-love for you…my soul is wrapped around having a hold on you.

"So…I'm letting you go, Astrid. I'm sorry that it took this much."

Already, the plane around me started to rumble as if it was falling apart. I turned around to find Astrid stand there next to me.

She slapped me. HARD.

"THAT was for all the trouble you've caused."

Oh, yea. It's a double lock. I have to prove my soul has changed twice to get out.

"And this…" she leaned in to kiss me, and my heart and head waged war: my heart wanted to accept the kiss, and my head knew that would trap me here permanently. I gently pushed her away, never breaking eye contact. "…well, it would have been for everything else."

Astrid started to fade away, and the plane around me started to glow so bright that I couldn't see. I only had one thought left.

_Now THAT's my Astrid._

The white blinded me, and my body tingled until suddenly, it didn't. The bright light around me had disappeared, and I was now standing in where my memories had ended. Fin had dropped to one knee, still reeling from the pain of the lightning. Thor's eyes had grown so large that they threatened to devour his eyebrows. Thuggory and Valka looked so confused that I fought an urge to chuckle. Toothless looked furious but his anger dropped when he saw me.

Then I looked down at myself. It felt so good to be back in a body I could control, until I realized that I _wasn't_ in a body. I was another ghost, but this time was partially visible: a spirit.

"That's…not possible." Thor mumbled, so soft that no one should have heard it. But I did.

I looked at my hands and flexed my fingers, making sure they worked. I realized I was actually wearing armor that matched my transparency, and even had weapons.

Fin slowly rose, and his eyes went wide when he saw me.

"What? NO! YOU! What are _you_ doing here? You're supposed to be…"

"Astrid, I know. She sends her regards."

His surprise faded, and anger took hold again. We both shared identical features, yet we couldn't look any different right now.

"You RUINED IT!" He yelled as went to summon lightning from his fingers.

Except no lightning came forth.

"What? My Powers?!"

"They were never your powers, Fin." Thor called out from behind while laughing. "You were just a passenger who took over. Splitting yourselves meant that Hiccup would take the powers, which I suspect are the reason he's alive."

"Wait, what?" I asked.

"If you don't have a body, leaving a Soulstone should kill you. You didn't know that?"

"NO I DIDN'T KNOW THAT!"

Fin used my distraction to charge and swing his sword at me. He was still just as fast as usual, but I was fast too. He swung for my head, and I decided not to find out if he _can_ hurt me. I took a step back and allowed the blow to miss my neck. He swung again—straight down this time—and I stepped aside slightly to let the sword miss me again.

I drew my own sword (like everything else of mine, it was transparent) and stabbed Fin in the lower, right part of the stomach. Despite being a ghost blade, penetrated his body like a normal sword. I pulled the sword back out, but Fin stumbled backwards.

He felt the wound with his fingers, then his anger came back when he saw his own blood on his hands.

Now we had a fight.

Fin charged me, and I blocked his blow with my sword. From there, we exchanged a fury of blows at speeds that no one watching (not even Thor) had ever seen before. Fin's speed and agility was hampered by his wound, and I made sure to use that against him at every turn.

Fin was getting desperate. He knew that I would easily outpace him since I was uninjured, and he began planning a risky move that would end the fight one way or another. Fin was counting on the legend being able to escape death one more time.

He allowed me to knock his sword away on one of my attacks, and when I went to stab him he had back flipped and landed on one of the chairs. He then tried to flip over me and catch me off-guard. He twisted partway through his second flip (expecting me to try to stab him midair) but I shot lightning at him out of my own fingertips. Without his resistance to lightning, Fin froze and landed on his back with a dull thud.

Fin tried to scramble to his feet, but was still stiff and sore from the lightning and the landing. He has his back to me as he got up, and I promptly hit him in the back with an ice-shield. Fin was knocked back down, and struggled to stand back up. He made it to his feet before dropping back down to one knee, and I walked in front of him. I'm sure if I could see his eyes, they would be glaring daggers at my feet. I held my sword to his neck.

"Hiccup! Wait! That's _your_ body there! Don't you feel any connect to it?!" Thor interjected, desperate for me to stop. I guess he still thought that he could save his vision for the Order.

But you know what? The Order would be just fine. Thuggory has showed that he's more than capable of leading them, and Valka—_Mom—_is the only person who is as good with dragons as I am.

"What is the Order going to do without you?" Thor asked, obviously desperate in his attempt to play devil's advocate.

"They'll be fine."

Fin looked up and met my gaze. There was a swirl of emotions, but pain, anger, and frustration were the biggest.

"Did you see her?" He asked sadly and quietly, yet with the slightest twinge of hope.

"…Yes. She taught me that…I need to let things go." I replied just as quietly.

Fin closed his eyes and looked down, a few tears already trying to escape. Despite this, he suppressed a small laugh.

"Story of our life, huh?"

"No. Just mine, Fin. Just mine."

That was it. Our last exchange. It was almost friendly, in the most twisted way possible.

I shoved my sword down through his neck, until the sword was buried to the handle. There was no way he was surviving this one.

"Turns out, I have a lot to let go of."

I pulled out my sword. Fin crumpled in on himself, and I back up a few paces.

No one moved. I stared at my lifeless body, having a Deja Vu about my out-of-body memory experience.

Toothless slowly walked forward, until he was standing next to me.

_*Hiccup?*_

_^Hey bud.^_

Author's Note:

I literally just slapped myself in the face. I thought of the _perfect_ name for this chapter… :D


End file.
